‘Getting Trump’ with the New McCarthyism

Special Report: Many Democrats and progressives are embracing a New McCarthyism in their drive to negate last November’s election and remove President Trump from office, but is that right, asks Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

Yes, I get it. A lot of people want to remove Donald Trump from the presidency for a lot of understandable reasons: his breathtaking incompetence, his relentless narcissism, his destructive policies, etc. But he was elected under the U.S. constitutional system. He may have lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly three million ballots but he did prevail in the Electoral College.

Sen. Joseph McCarthy with lawyer Roy Cohn (right).

And, unlike George W. Bush, who also lost the popular vote, Trump didn’t have to steal Florida – and thus the White House – by enlisting Republican justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the vote count prematurely. We now know that if all the ballots considered legal under Florida law had been counted Al Gore would have won regardless of which standard of “chad” was used. But Trump didn’t have to resort to such bald-faced cheating.

And, yes, of course, there were many other problems with the election, such as Republican efforts to suppress African-American and other minority votes. But it’s not as if the U.S. electoral process has ever been the gold standard of democracy that some Americans like to believe. The system has now – and always has had – serious shortcomings, but it also has enabled the diverse United States to function for more than two centuries without major political violence, with the exception of the Civil War when the process broke down over the South’s insistence on slavery.

So, whether one likes it or not – and many people really don’t like it – Donald Trump is the constitutionally elected President of the United States. And, despite the many imperfections in that electoral process, the idea of negating a presidential election is very serious business.

Whatever the hurt feelings of the editors at The New York Times and The Washington Post, whatever snarky jokes are told on late-night TV, whatever connect-the-dots conspiracy theories are popular on MSNBC, the idea of telling 63 million Americans that their votes don’t count, that the elites know best, that the President who won under the rules of the game must be ridden out of Washington on a rail will not go down as easily as some people think.

New McCarthyism

National Democrats and many progressives are also embracing a troubling New McCarthyism to justify what amounts to a “soft coup” against Trump.

In a normal world – after Tuesday’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee – former CIA Director John Brennan would have been led away in a straitjacket or given the role of General Jack D. Ripper in a remake of the Cold War dark comedy, “Dr. Strangelove.” Instead, Brennan’s Russo-phobic ramblings were made the lead story in the Times, the Post and other major American newspapers.

While General Ripper worried about Russian operatives polluting our “precious bodily fluids,” Brennan warned that any conversation with a Russian or some Russian intermediary might put Americans on a treasonous path even if they “do not even realize they are on that path until it gets too late.”

He also testified, “I know what the Russians try to do. They try to suborn individuals and try to get individuals, including U.S. individuals, to act on their behalf, wittingly or unwittingly.” In other words, any American who has some contact with Russia or Russians may be a spy or mole whether he or she knows it or not. Subversion or possible subversion is everywhere. Trust no one.

Yes, I’m sure those devious Russ-kies do what all intelligence agencies, including the CIA, seek to do. And, in many cases, there is nothing wrong with the process. Unofficial give-and-take between adversaries can increase understanding – and that can be especially important to the future of humankind when the United States and Russia are still armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons.

Indeed, such informal contacts may have helped avert nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis when Washington-based KGB station chief Aleksandr Feklisov approached ABC News correspondent John Scali with a plan to dismantle missile bases in Cuba in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba. Though there remain historical questions about the significance of that initiative, it shows the value that such contacts can have despite the alarmist concerns raised by the likes of Brennan. In the New Cold War, we’d have to investigate Scali’s loyalty.

Despite the paranoid fantasies, Brennan’s testimony was widely praised as he suggested that any dealing with Russia or Russians or Russian businesses or possible Russian cutouts could put an American under counterintelligence suspicions because, hey, you never know.

“We see that Russian intelligence agencies do not hesitate at all to use private companies and Russian persons who are unaffiliated with the Russian government to support their objectives,” Brennan warned.

No Edward R. Murrow

There was a time when some Democrats, some Republicans and a few courageous journalists objected to this kind of broad-brush challenge to the patriotism of American citizens. CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow famously stood up to Sen. Joe McCarthy and his Red Scare in the 1950s. It was then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton who chastised President George H.W. Bush during a 1992 presidential debate for making an issue of Clinton’s student trip to Moscow during the Cold War.

Legendary CBS News’ correspondent Edward R. Murrow.

After Bush referenced Clinton’s Moscow visit, Clinton hit back: “When Joe McCarthy went around this country attacking people’s patriotism, he was wrong. He was wrong, and a senator from Connecticut stood up to him, named Prescott Bush. Your father was right to stand up to Joe McCarthy. You were wrong to attack my patriotism.”

And the backdrop for this New Cold War is that since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 – and the end of the Old Cold War – many Americans have done business in Russia and many Russians have invested in the United States. A Russian oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov, even owns the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.

The recent tensions are also not entirely the making of Russia or its President Vladimir Putin. The past several U.S. administrations have exploited the disarray from the Soviet collapse to push NATO up to Russia’s borders.

U.S. officials also encouraged the violent 2014 putsch in Ukraine that overthrew elected President Viktor Yanukovych. Actively involved in Yanukovych’s overthrow were senior U.S. officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, and Sen. John McCain. Several weeks before the coup, Nuland and Pyatt were caught on an unsecure phone line discussing who should take over the Ukrainian government and musing how to “midwife” or “glue this thing.”

The coup also followed the specific targeting of Ukraine as “the biggest prize” by neocon Carl Gershman, the president of the U.S.-government-funded National Endowment for Democracy, which sponsored scores of political and media operations inside Ukraine. (Gershman is now calling for regime change in Russia.)

But the U.S. mainstream media essentially ignored this evidence of U.S. complicity in the Ukraine coup and accepted the State Department’s propaganda line that the post-coup resistance to Yanukovych’s overthrow among ethnic Russians in Crimea and eastern Ukraine was simply the result of “Russian aggression.” The New York Times even denied that there had been a coup in an article that studiously ignored the evidence that there had been a coup, including the Nuland-Pyatt phone call.

Swallowing U.S. Propaganda

Similarly, the mainstream U.S. media has swallowed every evidence-free claim from the Obama administration’s intelligence agencies without any skepticism. Indeed, the MSM has hyped those claims beyond even what the Obame team says by ignoring factual admissions from former CIA Director Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper about the limited nature of the intelligence “assessment” on Russian election interference.

The MSM has so enjoyed claiming that the Russian “meddling” allegations are the consensus judgment of all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies that a blind eye and a deaf ear have been turned to Brennan and Clapper contradicting that beloved groupthink.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (right) talks with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, with John Brennan and other national security aides present. (Photo credit: Office of Director of National Intelligence)

In recent testimony, Clapper and Brennan acknowledged that the Jan. 6 report alleging Russian “meddling” was actually the work of hand-picked analysts from only four agencies – the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation under the oversight of the DNI’s office. But that fact continues to be ignored by the MSM, with the Post on Wednesday castigating Trump for refusing “to fully accept the unanimous conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies.”

If a non-MSM news outlet had published such a misleading claim from a different perspective – after U.S. senior officials had denied it – we would be hearing charges of “fake news” or perhaps accusations of “Russian disinformation.” But clearly the Post doesn’t want to give up on this formulation of unanimity among the 17 intelligence agencies even if it’s not true.

The Post must feel that it’s less impressive to say that the Russia-did-it conclusion was reached by “hand-picked” analysts at four agencies while other intelligence agencies, which could have supplied important context, such as the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, were excluded.

What has also been remarkable about the months-long investigations into alleged Russian “meddling” is how little evidence has been evinced to support the accusations. While there has been a parade of Obama appointees testifying before Congress – making broad accusations while demurring whenever evidence is requested on the grounds of secrecy or privacy – we haven’t heard from any of the people accused of having these untoward contacts with Russians, even though some have volunteered to testify.

“I’m not going to identify the individuals [under suspicion] because this is information that, again, is based on classified sources and intelligence,” Brennan said on Tuesday, although the identities of the suspected “traitors” have been widely publicized through leaks to the major U.S. news media.

Speaking Up

One of those Americans, onetime Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page, responded to Brennan’s testimony in a letter to the House Intelligence Committee.

Page noted he was “an unpaid, informal” adviser to the campaign and “throughout my interactions with the Russians in 2016, I consistently made it crystal clear that all of my benign statements and harmless actions in Moscow as well as elsewhere overseas were solely made as a scholar and a business person speaking only on behalf of myself. In other words, in no way connected to then-candidate Trump. Both in Russia and in countries around the world, this was precisely the same position I had maintained stretching back over a decade.”

Former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page.

Regarding Brennan’s demurral about naming names, Page pointed out that it has been widely reported that he was put under a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. According to press accounts, that was, in part, because of a speech he made in Moscow in 2016. His identity, in communications intercepted by U.S. intelligence, had already been “unmasked” or exposed to the public, but whatever evidence there is against him has been hidden.

Page wrote: “underscoring what a complete mockery this process has become, my identity has already been publicly revealed in the wake of the felonies committed [by the Obama administration, including] baseless FISA warrant, Male-1 unmasking, etc.).

“Serving as a loyal Clinton/Obama regime surrogate, Brennan’s spineless practice of hiding behind this lame confidentiality excuse rather than taking any responsibility for their illegal actions only stirs up more misunderstanding and illegitimate fears which continue to damage our great country. This further underscores the urgent need for the public disclosure of these related documents.”

Joining the Stampede

Yet, congressional Democrats have recognized the political gain that they can extract from this New McCarthyism, as reflected in an exchange between Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, and Brennan at Tuesday’s hearing. Himes cited a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a leading think tank for the Military-Industrial Complex.

Himes said: “I want to use my five minutes to try to paint a more specific picture around the methods and mechanisms that the Russians used to suborn … our democracy and our electoral process. And I want to start with a quote by a report I know you’re familiar with, CSIS’ report, ‘The Kremlin Playbook’ in which they say that Russia, quote, ‘Seeks to corrode democracy from within by deepening political divides,’ unquote.

“The Russians stir the pot, heighten anxieties and know that when they trigger chaos, even if it ends up negatively affecting them, that they are serving the purpose of weakening us. I want to talk about people because you made reference to people and I don’t want to do it specifically, I want to do it in the abstract.

“‘The Kremlin Playbook’ … says further that Russia looks to corrode democracy by, quote, ‘Investing in rising politicians, cultivating relationships with prominent businessmen, or helping to ensure that its business affiliates become well-positioned in government.’

“Mr. Brennan, assuming that you agree with that, how specifically has the Kremlin gone about cultivating relationships with key Americans in an effort … to influence our policy?”

Brennan: “It is traditional intelligence collection tradecraft … to identify individuals that you think are either very influential or rising stars, and you will try to develop a relationship with them and the Russians frequently will do that through cutouts or through false-flag operations. They won’t identify themselves as Russians or as members of Russian government. They will try to develop a personal relationship and then over time they will try to get individuals to do things on their behalf.

“And that’s why again, having been involved in a lot of counterintelligence cases over the years and seeing this pattern over and over again, my radar goes up when I see that the Russians are actively involved in a particular intelligence operational campaign and that U.S. persons are being contacted by Russian officials. … these are contacts that might’ve been totally, totally innocent and benign as well as those that might have succumbed somehow to those Russian efforts. …”

Himes: “do Americans who are suborned in such a way … do they necessarily need to know that they are doing Russia’s bidding?”

Brennan: “No, many times they do not. They do not even know that the person that they’re interacting with is a Russian. Many times they know that individuals may be Russian officials, but they don’t know that there is an intelligence connection or intelligence motive for behind it. …”

No Doubts

Himes: “There’s hardly anyone left today who doubts that Russia attacked us, but we have to realize the true thrust of the Russian attack is what they have triggered in us, the partisanship. Every time we refuse to face facts, every time we attack the messenger rather than confront the actions that happened, every time we undercut our allies in our alliances and our values, I think we’re playing precisely in the Russians fondest hopes.

A scene from “Dr. Strangelove,” in which the bomber pilot (played by actor Slim Pickens) rides a nuclear bomb to its target in the Soviet Union.

“We’re doing something about that in my opinion, the gray, cold warriors, be it Ronald Reagan or Harry Truman would never have allowed.”

Responding to Hines’s comments, Page wrote: “This offers a precise depiction of the Clinton/Obama regime’s playbook based on their continued false evidence regarding former Trump campaign supporters such as myself, in the wake of their sad disappointment as sore losers. Immediate disclosure of their falsified FISA warrant documents upon which these same tactics were based last year is an essential way to cease this process which has been weakening all Americans.”

Page added, “Other gray, cold warriors of bygone eras had J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy to do precisely this dirty work: attacking the messengers. In other words, attacking those who wanted to see positive changes in their country’s policies based on realistic strategies which can benefit all citizens while creating a viable pathway to increased peace around the world.”

A core problem with what Brennan and other Obama administration officials have set in motion is that the suspicions are so vague at this point – even some 10 months into the investigation – that a paranoia has taken over. There is a McCarthyistic element to these allegations, including guilt by association regarding any contact with any Russian or even some intermediary who might somehow be a Russian “false-flag.” Anyone or everyone might be a Russian “mole.”

So, yes, I get the desire to get rid of Trump because of his unfitness and ineptness. But the “Russia thing” – as Trump calls it – is unleashing an ugliness that many of us thought was a thing of the past, an era of evidence-free accusations of disloyalty and a crazed hostility toward the other nuclear superpower that could end in a miscalculation that could end life on the planet. Is this really what Democrats and progressives want to embrace?

Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, America’s Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com).

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156 comments for “‘Getting Trump’ with the New McCarthyism”

Abbybwood

June 4, 2017 at 06:41

Had the DNC not rigged the primary for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders would have easily beaten Donald J. Trump in the election and we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Lawyers for the DNC claim it is the DNC’s RIGHT to rig the primary on behalf of one candidate or another (even though the by-laws say otherwise.

I would like to see Consortium News getting into the weeds on this case that is winding its way through the court system.

Three cheers for the lawyers working on behalf of those who (if given the chance) will PROVE that the DNC is a rotten, filthy and corrupt political organization.

Jamie

June 2, 2017 at 14:37

Perry is ignoring a few elephants in the room. For one, the US did not simply encourage the Ukrainian coup — we funded it to the tune of five billion. Furthermore, Obama was president and he fully supported the coup .. so shifting the blame to McCain or Nuland is just fake news. They were there at the president’s behalf. Perry feels this constant need to apologize for Obama and historically cleanse him, I don’t know why.

The second elephant in the room is Hillary Clinton. She took millions in bribes from Russian oligarchs for the transfer of Uranium assets.

By pretending the commander in chief had nothing to do with the coup in the Ukraine and by ignoring the rich irony of Hillary’s bribes … Perry falls to capture the reality and rich irony of the situation.

Anonymous

May 30, 2017 at 10:27

We have heard Kim Dotcom say that he is the Evidence, with regards to Seth Rich having Leaked Emails to WikiLeaks.

As far as Many People are concerned, they think that Kim Dotcom is being Honest, and they Believe that he is speaking the Truth on this matter, and Kim Dotcom and others are Only able to Prove that Seth Rich Leaked to WikiLeaks, because they are not the Police or the FBI or Private Detectives, and there are Many Americans of All Political Parties who think that minimum Justice for Seth Rich is for Evidence to be Presented showing that Seth Rich was an American Hero and Patriot, because he Leaked Emails to WikiLeaks, because he wanted Democracy, Accountability, and Integrity in America’s Government.

The Testimony of Kim Dotcom sounds Logical and Honest, because it is based on his Knowledge of the Intentions of, and the future actions of others, which he Accurately Predicted on May of 2015, and the short Video is Titled: Julian Assange is going to be Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare says Kim Dotcom at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDewq6ZffNs .

I watched the full length Kim Dotcom Interview from which that Video was made, and he appeared to me to be Honest and Genuine, and I Believe what he said in that Interview.

Many People Believe that Kim Dotcom has provided Evidence that is beyond a reasonable doubt, and this is Why they Believe what Kim Dotcom said, and that is that he is the Evidence, and I Believe that he has Further Evidence, and that Interview and his following Statement are Consistent.

Kim Dotcom made a Statement, and it is the following: #SETHRICH WAS A HERO, I KNOW THAT SETH RICH WAS INVOLVED IN THE DNC LEAK. I know this because in late 2014 a person contacted me about helping me to start a branch of the Internet Party in the United States. He called himself Panda. I now know that Panda was Seth Rich. Panda advised me that he was working on voter analytics tools and other technologies that the Internet Party may find helpful. I communicated with Panda on a number of topics including corruption and the influence of corporate money in politics. “He wanted to change that from the inside.” I was referring to what I knew when I did an interview with Bloomberg in New Zealand in May 2015. In that interview I hinted that Julian Assange and Wikileaks would release information about Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election. The Rich family has reached out to me to ask that I be sensitive to their loss in my public comments. That request is entirely reasonable. I have consulted with my lawyers. I accept that my full statement should be provided to the authorities and I am prepared to do that so that there can be a full investigation. My lawyers will speak with the authorities regarding the proper process. If my evidence is required to be given in the United States I would be prepared to do so if appropriate arrangements are made. I would need a guarantee from Special Counsel Mueller, on behalf of the United States, of safe passage from New Zealand to the United States and back. In the coming days we will be communicating with the appropriate authorities to make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, I will make no further comment. STATEMENT FROM KIM DOTCOM.

Kim Dotcom wants to Present his Evidence in a Legal setting in America under Oath, and this is the Proper way and Proper Forum to Present the Evidence.

This is because we Know that the Bribed and Corrupt Puppet Mainstream Media can, and will try to discredit any Evidence, because they want to try to deceive People by trying to cover up the Facts.

The Bribed and Corrupt Puppet Mainstream Media has Already tried to do this with some of the Evidence.

However, those who Know the Facts, can be Certain that the Bribed and Corrupt Puppet Mainstream Media who are Trained on how to spread Disinformation, is spreading Disinformation to try to discredit the Evidence.

There has been another attempt at Disinformation, possibly with true information that was made to look suspect by the way it was Deceptively handled by providing some possible fake evidence, and then commenting on that, like the redacted FBI memo that was mentioned by Joe Biggs, and it is said that it is not the Original official document, and if the Original non redacted document does appear, then it could be wrongly said that those parts of the copy that is redacted is all untrue, and we cannot know that for sure at this time, because some or all of it may be true, and so it should neither be accepted or rejected at this time, but we will have to wait to make an Accurate assessment, but one Accurate assessment that have been made is that some Criminals are the Masters of Every Type of Hardened and Habitual Lie and Trickery, and so time might give us clarification as to how reliable is that redacted FBI memo.

However, even if a document is a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of the Original document, where some changes have been made to the structure of the Original document before the initial photocopying of an Original document, or of a modified or slightly modified additional document that has been made by Puppets of the Shadow Regime in the Police Department or the FBI, then it does Not necessarily mean that all or some of the information from the Original Memo is unreliable, and these are Tactics of the Clintonites or other Shadow Regime Puppets, because it gives them talking points for the purposes of trying to deflect from the Facts, and Criminals might say that the Original Memo was incorrect, and that someone made a copy of an Allegedly incorrect document.

This is because Criminals want to try to deceive People, and we Need to Understand that Criminals Can and Do at times Lie in the Original documents, and so even inaccurate copies may at times be More accurate than some Original Official documents, and this is Why there are some People who think that it is a waste of time to go by Official accounts, because Official accounts may easily be Lies, and that the opposite of some of what is said to be the Official account is what is True at times, and Iraq is one example of that, and Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller helped facilitate the Iraq War Propaganda Machine, and Mueller a Very Good Friend of James Comey, and because they Lie over something that is big as Iraq, then they Will and Do Lie about lesser Crimes.

This is Why there are People who want Kim Dotcom to Present his Evidence under Oath to Congress, or under Oath to the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, or a Court, and where the Bribed and Corrupt Puppet Mainstream Media will Not find it as easy to misrepresent the Evidence.

A Person could copy all or much of what is true information, and put it on Unofficial Paper, and then People can correctly say that the document is Not an Official document, and then try to claim that the Information that is Inconvenient to the Criminals is unreliable, and Only because it was Not on an Official document, even though all or some of that Inconvenient Information may be True, and this is is how the Deceivers try to deceive People, by saying that the document is Not an Official document, because of trying to insinuate that some or much or all of the Information on that copy of a document is fake, and it can be compared to copying a Mathematics Textbook, either exactly or mostly correctly, and then saying that none of that copy is reliable, because it is Not the Official Mathematics Textbook, but carefully studying the copy of that Mathematics Textbook and comparing it to Known Facts is the way to Know if some or all of it reliable.

There are People who Correctly think that a Reliable Source of Information, is to believe the Opposite of some of what the Government and the Much of the Mainstream Media says.

These things are Further Verification that a Personal Appearance in America under Oath in a Legal setting, such as the Congress, or to the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, or a Court, is the Best way for Americans to Understand this matter, and Kim Dotcom would Not perjure himself, and so we can be Certain that the Evidence he has is True, and Kim Dotcom and others Know that it is up to the Police and the FBI and possibly Private Detectives to try to solve what happened to Seth Rich.

This is because Kim Dotcom wants Justice for Seth Rich and that means that Americans Know that Seth Rich was committed to Democracy, Accountability, and Integrity in America’s Government, and Seth Rich would also want Americans to Know that he was committed to Democracy, Accountability, and Integrity in America’s Government, and there could be People who want a Seth Rich Remembrance Day.

I do Not think that at this time or for a while that the Joe Biggs redacted FBI memo can be dismissed as not having at least some or much Accurate Information, and that might Not be known for a while, and the Criminals have their Machine that is throwing Millions of Dollars for Disinformation, and these Criminals sometimes try to obfuscate matters with Fake information so they can Wrongly claim that the subject of the Investigation is fake, by saying that it is a Conspiracy theory, and Criminals use Fake information that they themselves manufactured and planted as their Excuse for Not Investigating Crime as an attempt to discredit the entire Investigation.

If that redacted FBI memo is suspect, then it makes the matter even more Suspicious that Criminals Need to create confusion by means of a Cynical Diversion with the use of a fake document.

WikiLeaks does Not reveal its sources because it could put the Leaker at risk, and it breaks the agreement that was made with the deceased Leaker, and this is Kim Dotcom wants to present Evidence Under Oath to either Congress or to the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, and it is a Reasonable request, because Seth Rich would have wanted that.

We Know that Seth Rich was a Computer Specialist and he worked at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee as the Director of the voter expansion data, and he was Known as Panda, and that he was a Supporter of Senator Sanders, and that he Knew of WikiLeaks, and that he did Not want Hillary Clinton to be Democratic Party nominee, and it was Known among Democrats that a Senator Sanders supporter who was Known as Panda would try to help Senator Sanders become the Democratic Party nominee.

We Know that on 24 January 2016, that Journalist who is a Hillary Clinton Supporter wrote the following, and where I explain it with words added in brackets, and it is the following: For the second time in eight years (since the 2008 Primaries), Hillary Clinton sees the Democratic nomination being pawed by a charming interloper (the first was Barack Obama), like a priceless vase grabbed by a panda (Seth Rich). She’d prefer to shoot the panda, but that could mean breaking the vase (does not become the President), and onlookers (certain Democrats who are aware of this) would object (to that) at http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/05/was-vanity-fair-article-in-january-2016-a-warning-to-seth-rich-that-his-life-was-in-danger/ .

The Obama and Clinton Administration Only Employed People who they Knew Would be Corrupt at times for the Unelected and Unconstitutional American Shadow Regime, and we can see how the FBI was Corrupt at times for the Obama and Clinton Administration and would created Lying Official documents and other Lies and Tricks when they wanted that at http://canadafreepress.com/article/the-real-russia-gate-scandal , and this is Why there are Many Americans who want Kim Dotcom to Present his Evidence in a Proper Legal setting in America.

It is clear that, absent this rigging, Clinton would have won the electoral college. Not that I’m a supporter of Clinton. It was clear all along she was no progressive.

* Trump gets gratification when people say his name. I prefer to deny him that gratification by calling him other names, such as “the cheater”, “the troll”, and “the infant.”

ranney

May 27, 2017 at 17:40

In 1992 I went to Russia with Global Volunteers for two weeks to help in the schools in Tver in the their english language program. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was greeted with total friendliness and what I saw in Russia was in many ways eyeopening. I already liked and admired Russian literature, music and art (especially ballet), but I was enchanted by the whimsical playfullness of their architecture, and surprised at the utter beauty of the country I passed through from Moscow to Tver, having seen only photos of dark militaristic buildings and parades of soldiers displaying bombs, tanks and other weapons – which was all we were (are) ever shown of Russia. I was also surprised by the school which was light and airy and the walls in the corridor were filled with the children’s art which struck me as quite imaginative. Also the student’s relationship with their teacher was open and friendly, and they ere equally open with me. IN the end I was brought to tears by the gifts the students gave me when I left (I still cherish them). I was so astonished and touched, since I was aware how little many of them had since the destruction of the old USSR.
The teacher and I corresponded for years after that until she died of cancer a few years ago.

I suppose that makes me suspect in Brennans eyes. but what I most wonder about is he may be trying to keep people away from Russians because they are so likable with a charming sense of humor. I think back to all the people I met while there and I don’t think a single one of them was trying to corrupt me or had anything in their mind other than interest in this strange person from another universe (i.e. America) and finding out what she was like.

I think it’s important to communicate with people, especially those we might disagree with. I agree with Robert Parry, Bernnan’s remarks are more than harmful; they bespeak a mind that has gone over the edge.

eric

May 27, 2017 at 11:50

Do the Anti Christians hate Russia because they are classified as the most Christian country in Europe .. It is not Russia that has passed a law allowing a one year prison sentence for asking some one to attend Christian church services more than one time. This is a anti Christian law that a western country passed to appease Homosexuals , Muslims , atheists and other Christian haters It is not Russia I’am afraid of but ourselves ..

onno

May 27, 2017 at 04:17

Many years ago Donald Trump sold his Palm Beach home to a Russian Oligarch & Nobody is talking about that anymore or the many US companies sold to Chinese – State Owned companies. The inconsistency by the US MSM propaganda system is astonishing and selective. Bottom line in USA has ALWAYS been MONEY = Capitalism and NOBODY has ever objected to that even when mothers were selling their children for a ‘BUCK’ or when runaways were used for BODY-PARTS! So it’s NO difference as long as you have Money you’re above the Law, we saw that with US presidents Obama, Clinton, Reagan but they were protected by the Washington Elite & Corporate America. Not so Donald Trump!
Today there is a US president who wants to bring Washington back to the American people= Democracy, All Hell breaks lose. It all reminds me of President John F. Kennedy who also said that the American people have ONLY ONE PERSON IN WASHINGTON representing THEIR INTERESTS and that’s the President of America. And we ALL know what happened to him and his brother Robert for NOT obeying this Washington POWER ELITE. History repeats itself but ONE lesson is obvious The USA is NO DEMOCRACY and hasn’t been since the murder of JFK and like former US President Jimmy Carter said the USA is ruled by autocratic OLIGARCHS, how right he is!

Max

May 27, 2017 at 02:37

LIFE IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATES

“The CIA does not refer to the McCarthy era as the “red scare” or “witchhunt”, they call it THE CIA- McCARTHY FIGHTS on their STUDIES IN INTELLIGENCE site. They know better. In 2001, before 911 a family discovered boxes of Intel about the only truly secret Intel agency we ever had. The boxes were discovered in Virginia, and a call was placed to CIA in Langley. Agents were sent out to look at these classified documents about a group within CIA called THE POND. But there was a problem. No one at the agency had any knowledge of the group, and there was no record of the group.” https://www.psywar.org/forum/index.php/topic,459.0.html

“Angleton feared that such a dual penetration would allow the KGB to effectively control the assessment of American intelligence Others, including J. Edgar Hoover in the FBI and William Colby in the CIA, did not share Angleton’s concern. Hoover threatened to sever its cooperation with Angleton~s staff and Colby characterized the likelihood of the Russian intelligence service recruiting moles simultaneously in both the CIA and FBI counterintelligence as preposterous and Angleton as paranoid. Angleton was fired.”http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/question_angleton.htm

Marine News

The whale swallowed the POND.

Jonah say, “What is this here lever here?”

He say, “Look out, Jonah! Jonah, Jonah, boy!
Boy, look out what you doing!, You got my full speed ahead lever.
Jonah, Jonah, look out for the rock on the right. The rock on the right, Jonah.”

“Cooool!”

He say. “It ain’t cool at all! We in the shallow water!”

Jonah say, “That’s all I want to know.”

You can swim in the whale. Naked! The POND never ends, the divers just change.

Attorney General Russert
It’s not the Wild West anymore, you can’t just clean up the streets with a gun, even though sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.

Don G.

May 26, 2017 at 11:46

Both the Republicans and the Democrats are demonizing Russia as the enemy and Trump is merely going along for the ride. He never did understand foreign policy and consequently spoke foolishly on better relations with Russia. Now it’s clear he didn’t mean anything he said.

The consequence of Trump is that now both parties are in the process of making Russia the enemy, only the Repubs have to do it with Trump in mind. Reversing his campaign stupidity has to be done slowly to hold up some credibility for Trump.

Meanwhile, the spin off is obvious as RTnews reports that 60% of Americans now believe Russia to be the enemy.

posa

May 26, 2017 at 11:03

Robert Parry is accurate and correct in his analysis. But how can I possibly bring myself to stand-up for Trump against this lynching?

Yes there are profound constitutional and political issues in play… but given the choice of “defending the Constitution” by defending Trump … or doing nothing and silently consenting to a cold coup? I guess I’ll sit this one out.

I didn’t vote for Drump or Killary last November.

susan sunflower

May 26, 2017 at 12:50

I think we all might remind ourselves of the consensus opinion that prevented Bill Clinton’s removal from office — that the grounds were insufficient to depose a duly elected president … and thus far accusations wrt Trump himself, what he did or actively knew (and when he knew it) are even more vague and shrouded in “assumed intentions” which, imho, are largely meaningless.

Even yesterday’s story about a Virginia GOP person reaching out to Guccifer to encourage them to turn over useful “dirt” on Clinton does not appear to be criminal, much less a “criminal conspiracy” to meddle in the election.

Russian officials discussing how to influence Trump and suggesting that Flynn and (someone else) might be useful in this pursuit, proves nothing about things actually done and/or the effect of same.

“Assumed intentions” are also dangerously being treated as fact … again as McCarthyite as assuming that someone with communist leanings was actively trying to overthrow the government … of a parcel with “all Muslims” having terrorist sympathies.

Darrin Rychlak

May 26, 2017 at 08:49

The public record shows that President Trump has longstanding ties with the American Mafia, Russian Mafia, and Drug Cartels. Implicit in those connections are Trump’s vast financial concerns that could undermine the integrity of the presidency.

That is the real problem here.

Whether Russia influenced the election through advertising is secondary. Advertising does work and if Team Trump did collude with a foreign power, then we have a problem.

It’s true that Trump has an oversized rap sheet which would use a lot of expensive ink to print it all out, but that doesn’t mean the man is personally responsible for every crime which imaginative people can imagine.

Him and the Russians may have truly been working together for some highly illegal monkey business in the 2016 election from before when the Soviet Union fell apart, but there remains the small thing about evidence – something which seems to be entirely missing.

delia ruhe

May 25, 2017 at 21:56

At first I thought this cock-and-bull story was entirely designed to distract the MSM from the dangerous possibility of returning to the MH-17 shoot-down and noticing that the final report is slightly fishy — either that or stumbling upon evidence of the active American support of the 2014 Ukraine coup, as evidence of it is pretty obvious (if only to those who’ve been taking a keen interest in Ukraine’s recent history and remember well the meddling of Washington in the Orange Revolution and Ukrainian election of 2004 and Putin’s irritation over it).

But now those important events are circling the memory hole, thanks to the MSM’s desperation for readers and viewers which makes them susceptible to anything that smells even slightly like a new scandal, especially one implicating America’s longstanding favourite scapegoat, Russia. Besides, blame-shifting is what official Washington does best. However, you’d think that politicians and policy makers and think-tankers and other partisans would be a lot less reckless, given that evidence for this trumped up scandal is minimal to non-existent — especially now that the US is in an irreversible “decline” bearing down on “fall.”

But I suppose the eclipse of American hegemony is the real story from which official Washington is in a panic to distract any or all journalists with a bit of time on their hands — and of course, at this juncture, the most obvious evidence for that decline and fall is Trump and his motley crew of Islamophobes and white supremacists and other know-nothings making like a herd of bulls advancing through the china shops of the world’s capitals.

LJ

May 25, 2017 at 19:38

I see Kushner is getting a little hate today in the press , getting the good ole’ dirt by association even though he has nothing to do with any criminal investigation and has already volunteered to testify to Congress.. I have to believe he has real thick skin and the insiders in the Senate and Congress will get the chill out orders because …., I don’t have to tell you do I?. It seems to me that the appointment of Mueller takes a lot of the wind out of the sails of the New McCarthyism (unless the ridiculous can suddenly transform itself into the sublime) but it really did happen and it came from the Democrats mostly.. I do not see things improving in the political arena. Civility is dead for the most part and politicians obstruct rather than govern. They do this inside their own parties as well as against the opposition. . Anybody will be fair game to mudslinging in the future but politics is a dirty business. What ever happened to just bribery and boinking interns? I guess they all started working out and went on steroids for a while.

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 23:10

I regard Jared as the rat in the Trump woodpile…his position and therefore his family’s connection to Trump was a major reason I wouldnt vote for him

“I speak with my father about everything in my life,” Jared said

Well, here’ s his filthy father…..

Charles Kushner (born May 16, 1954) is an American real estate developer. He founded Kushner Companies in 1985. In 2005, he was convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and served time in federal prison. After his release, he resumed his career in real estate. He is the father of Jared Kushner, who is the husband of Ivanka Trump and son-in-law and senior advisor to President of the United States Donald Trump.

In the summer of 2004, Kushner was fined $508,900 by the Federal Election Commission for contributing to political campaigns in the names of his partnerships when he lacked authorization to do so.[12] In 2005, following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey,[13] U.S. Attorney Chris Christie negotiated a plea agreement with Kushner, under which he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.[14] The witness-tampering charge arose from Kushner’s act of retaliation against William Schulder, his sister Esther’s husband, who was cooperating with federal investigators; Kushner hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, arranged to record an encounter between the two, and had the tape sent to his sister.[15][16][17][14] Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison[15] and served 14 months at Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery in Alabama[18][19] before being sent to a halfway house in Newark, New Jersey to complete his sentence.[18][19][20] He was released from prison on August 25, 2006

Feb 2, 2017 – For many in the Israeli settlement of Bet El, deep in the occupied West … and the foundation of Charles and Seryl Kushner, the parents of Jared, …

Typical of their kind of ‘bizness’ men Kushner’s sister was sent to China to woo investors.
”At an event in Beijing on Saturday, Meyer pitched wealthy Chinese investors on funding a New Jersey apartment complex being developed by the Kushner family. According to the Washington Post, promotional brochures for the program featured the tagline: “Invest $500,000 and immigrate to the United States,” and promoted Meyer as Jared’s sister. ”

If you are interested, I posted a somewhat detailed analysis of the anti-Russian hysteria on my blog, where among other things I come back on the latest “revelation” by the New York Times that Russian officials had discussed how to influence some of Trump’s aides during the election.

mrtmbrnmn

May 25, 2017 at 16:51

Kudos as always, Robert Parry, for your spirited and continuing efforts to unmask these dementedcrat sore losers and their allied outhouse rat crazies…

Doug Giebel

May 25, 2017 at 14:55

On the other hand, suppose it’s not about claiming that the votes for Trump don’t count. They obviously count, and so do those who voted for Trump. But what if, apart from the eagerness of some to impeach or otherwise disqualify Donald J. Trump, there are legitimate if yet-unproven facts that could show wrongdoing by Trump and/or some of his team? Those of us who lived through and remember well the McCarthy era would, one hopes, not wish for a repeat of the blatant smearing, the deliberate efforts to ruin people’s careers and lives, by making false, unsubstantiated allegations some called “witch hunts.” Few if any seem to be accusing the Trump administration of conspiring to hand the nation over to Putin and Russia in the way the McCarthy agenda claimed those Americans suspected of being Communists were supposedly trying to do. Beyond the apparent Russian attempts to influence our election process (as the United States has also done by meddling in other countries over the years), there is surely a legitimate interest in knowing whether some in the Trump camp conspired with Russia to enhance it’s meddling, questions regarding the extent of President Trump’s and the Trump Organization’s past and present financial involvement in Russia, questions asking whether or not President Trump has been telling the truth about his Russian connections and financial involvements (past, present and future), questions about the generally-ignored dossier compiled by Christopher Steele that may be accurate in some — perhaps most — details. It would be ridiculous for anti-Trump enthusiasts to wave about bogus lists the way McCarthy and his zealots did with demented fear mongering. Instead, because for whatever reasons or evidence, our nation’s various investigative and intelligence entities have found what they regard as reasonable causes for further investigation. Those investigations must always take the difficult high road and afford fundamental fairness to all sides, all individuals — something the McCarthy attacks deliberately ignored. What we should not ignore today are the indications, fostered by President Trump throughout his campaign
and presidency, fostered by conflicting statements and actions from some Trump campaign/administration insiders, that may or may not result in damaging the Trump administration, our future election process, the office of the presidency and the nation. Thorough investigations need not be witch hunts resulting in kangaroo court procedures. We need not revive McCarthyism as we seek facts and truth where important questions arise about the Trump election or any future election.

mike k

May 25, 2017 at 15:36

Doug, all you say sounds so reasonable. But it seems to ignore the whole context of this witch hunt. Your favorable mention of the outrageous fabrication know as the Steele Dossier tips me off to where all your “reasonable doubt” stuff is coming from. If all this blame it on the Russians and impeach Trump as a communist mole narrative makes sense to you, then I just have to wonder what agenda is driving your apparent blindness? You really think this plot to impeach an elected president through lies and innuendos is just a harmless exercise in reasonable curiosity? Sheesh!

Doug Giebel

May 26, 2017 at 12:12

You seem certain that the Steele Dossier was an “outrageous fabrication.” Is that your opinion or can you prove it was fabricated? Nowhere did I indicate I thought Trump was a “communist mole.” Since neither you nor I know what the
various investigations have found or will eventually find to be fact (as opposed to “lies and innuendos”), it would seem prudent,
if we really care about determining the facts and the truth, that we allow serious investigations to proceed, and to demand that the public learn the results of those investigations. As one who has personally been subjected to a “witch hunt,” I know full well the importance of both fairness and thoroughness where investigations are concerned. There is much still unknown about the Trump and company regarding Russian involvement, ethical lapses and serious financial conflicts of interest to warrant investigations. Where lies predominate, it would seem “reasonable” to seek the truth.

mike k

May 29, 2017 at 11:40

There is not one scrap of evidence to support the Steele dossier. Can I prove beyond the most skeptical person’s doubts that the moon is not made of green cheese? No. I suppose this requires an expedition there by absolutely honest, independent experts vetted by similarly extreme vetted….and so on ad infinitum…. This might be pretty expensive, but after all tax payers have deep pockets(?) – and we will never really know without awaiting a thorough investigation, and enquiring minds really want to know…….everything!

In short, I guess you can ask a lot of questions about and cast suspicion on just about anyone in and out of government, then launch a massive investigation, that will serve to make them look bad whether anything real is found to convict them or not. There really are a huge number of people to be investigated, including those who are behind this witch hunt……..the neocons, corporatists, spies, media owners, militarists…….

mike k

May 29, 2017 at 11:45

Who can you trust in this USA, this failing empire? I found some people here on CN who value the truth. Sometimes I feel like Diogenes with his lantern, seeking an honest man. Sometimes I even wonder about myself….?

But the search goes on. And the search for truth matters more than anything else.

mike k

May 29, 2017 at 12:02

And btw the investigations going on by those contributing to this blog are real, serious, and need to be considered. Compared to the BS show trials and witch hunts of political partisans this stuff done here is pretty reliable. If you prefer the stuff offered up on CNN or Fox News to what is on offer here – it’s your call.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 15:39

Doug – I don’t mind them investigating Trump, but why is there no investigation being done on Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation? I mean, if they went after everybody and actually tried to clean up government, people would understand that. But to just go after one person for months, and then produce no evidence, yet tar and feather the man, that strikes people as completely unfair.

Doug Giebel

May 26, 2017 at 12:03

Your response in the form a “whatabout?” avoids addressing the issues at hand. The argument Parry presents is about Trump,
not about someone else. If my neighbor murders his wife, does that permit me to murder mine? If Clinton was not investigated enough to suit you or others, does that mean no other investigations are legitimate and/or should happen? Whatabout-ism has been a favorite way to evade dealing with issues or excusing possible corruption because someone else was not dealt with as the whatabouter would wish. As for “produce no evidence,” we must wait for the evidence to be produced and demand that it is produced. How long did it take for the Watergate evidence to be produced? In the Trump situation, the investigations are going after more than one person, and they may or may not result in serious consequences. Serious professional people and agencies are seeking facts. Others would like to cover up or ignore or minimize the facts. The facts and the truth are there to be investigated, evaluated, determined and (one would hope) be made public as soon as possible.

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 14:48

It is obvious to me that something big and scary enough to make the public take up their pitchforks has to happen in US if it is to survive with any semblance at all to what it use to be or was intended to be.

Some of us know exactly how we came to this point but most don’t.

akech

May 25, 2017 at 13:29

When George W, Bush left office after the inauguration of Barack H. Obama (the man I voted for two times), George W. never appeared anywhere in USA or Europe to try to upstage/undermine the incoming POTUS.

It is true, Mr. Bush passed over many of problems he created to the incoming president and then disappeared behind the scene. I never liked George W. polices, but I respect the fact that he never showed overt contempt for the incoming president for the whole world to see!

Why can’t Mr. Obama and those elites advising him do the same; that is, respect the fact that Donald Trump won the election on November 8, 2016 and allow the peaceful transfer of power from one POTUS to the next? It looks like we now have two presidents in the USA :

It is understandable that the two men are at odds with one another in many areas. However, Barack Obama has allowed himself to be selfishly used by those elites around him who have tons of bones to pick with Donald Trump in such an utterly disrespectful manner! These elites are experts at using other people while hiding behind the scenes! Apparently, Barack Obama seems not to mind being used!

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 23:49

akech – “Apparently, Barack Obama seems not to mind being used!” He’s probably getting well paid for it, unfortunately. But, you are right, Obama should back off.

Stiv

May 25, 2017 at 12:55

More Parry bullshit. You’ve got some minor points but how in hell does this compare to “McCarthyism”? Is there a widespread purge of individuals in media/government? NO! Otherwise, you’d be up, wouldn’t you? What you have is people with direct ties to Russia government and non-government oligarchial ( is that a word?) organizations. There have been rumors for some time…well founded, that he has been laundering money for these people for a long time as a payback for loans he got. In other words, he MAY be in the back pocket of these people and his advisers/business partners certainly look to have significant interests that would appear to override the interests of this nation.

Paying attention to the braying of politicians is a waste of time. There’s always some bombast ( look at the fucking GOP and Trump himself) but we must look past that to the substance behind the political maneuvering.

I want to know, as a tax paying citizen. I don’t care about fucking Clinton ( you can’t let that go, can you?) or “fake news”. Anyone with a bit of intelligence can figure out what is total bullshit, what is up for analysis and what is shown to be fact.

Parry, you’re riding the line between total bullshit and up for analysis./

~S

susan sunflower

May 25, 2017 at 13:09

You really cannot see how multiple lives and careers are being and have been ruined over “allegations” ? and how few are asking “Where’s the beef?”
After a long and varied military career, Flynn (who is only slightly more moderate than Boykin, and a protegee of both McChrystal and Petraeus) has been “ruined” over allegations that he both failed to report income and lied to congress about that income from lobbying … without, any evidence that his failing to report/”lying” was of any consequence, beyond the usual embarassment of bad bookkeeping, faulty memory versus “tax evasion” and calculate lies in-order-to get senate confirmation.

I have no love for Flynn — but a lifetime of service has been smeared beyond recognition to the point that it is being nefariously suggested that he was a “foreign agent” — when like dozens (possibly hundreds) he was acting as a unregistered lobbyist for Turkey … (how formally and to what extent, for how long, involving what issues … crickets)

susan sunflower

May 25, 2017 at 13:17

note that during the witchhunt of McCarthyism, an enthusiasm for an alternative economic theory (Communism) was taken as evidence of criminality (thought crimes) and even traitorous inclinations … see also Jesus as a communist and liberation theology … With Russia currently, we have reached a similar “cooties” guilty by association punishment of (certain) individuals doing business with Russia or aligned with Russian interests (ignoring the hundreds of others doing business with Russia and/or dissenting from this extremist Russia-phobic world view)

mike k

May 25, 2017 at 13:34

Stiv, you have nothing to share here but your favorite word bullshit. Why don’t you take it to some other site that enjoys your content-free mutterings?

Zachary Smith

May 25, 2017 at 13:57

More Parry bullshit.

Mr. Stiv doesn’t seem entirely happy with the essays here – the comment for this one appears to be part of a more general pattern.

Stiv
January 13, 2017 at 4:22 pm

Consortium has become a “one note johnny”…the same thing over and over and over to the point that you MAY be reduced to insignificance.

Stiv
January 26, 2017 at 4:03 pm

Thank you for this comment. Your first paragraph says a lot.

With due respect to Mr. Parry, I wish he’d get his head back into the game and out of the same ol same ol. Point made, time to identify and report on what’s happening NOW!

Stiv
January 26, 2017 at 4:49 pm

The premise of this article is bullshit. “Bloodthirsty Obama”? Really now. And what do we have here..a cult of personality following Parry?

Stiv
January 27, 2017 at 1:18 pm

Looking for something more important than this. How about looking into the business ties and how that will affect his foreign and domestic policies?

Stiv
February 1, 2017 at 1:45 pm

Truthout is increasingly a favorite. Consortium ..and especially Parry…has gotten to be “jonny one note”. We need more than the same ol same ol…though he IS correct in most of his observations.

Speaking of “jonny one-note”….

This happens to be Mr. Parry’s site. If he wants to write essays about pear trees or the hazards of eating uncooked oysters, fine. If I want to hang around and read and/or comment on those essays, that’s my call.

Realist

May 25, 2017 at 15:09

Stiv,

I think you can get the bullshit YOU want from 99.9% of the rest of the media. Mr. Parry publishes here precisely because he refuses to follow that herd… which deposits plenty of bullshit along its way. What would be our motive for reading him if he were just another brick in the wall that the mainstream media has built to hide the truth from the people?

susan sunflower

May 25, 2017 at 11:48

This is an almost inevitable result of the “how much freedom/democracy will you willingly abandon to be safe?” that followed 09/11. Note how the chorus of principled dissenters has faded into the shadows, not allowed on stage … this is now, that was then (who knows those were the good old days when — some — people expressed horrors at the Patriot Act and the original — bad enough — FISA courts).

Sylvia Plath’s poem about Daddy as Hitler comes to mind. It’s the battle of the inner authoritarians who will right-wrongs by “what ever means necessary” even if it is a matter of destroying our democracy to “save” it (or at least give Clinton her chance and smite the evil orange team (who are busy proving themselves corrupt and incompetent — two mints in one).

and the “liberal” (versus the pro-trump media) MSM is manufacturing “mad as hell, not gonna take it” outrage to match that which gave Trump the victory … every day multiple outrages … with not a “policeman” in sight (or apparently an indictment and/or verifiable actual “evidence” either for that matter — the perversion of “blind justice”, tyranny of the majority).

In all realms, Americans are waiting for Superman (or some other miracle) to save their ass.

susan sunflower

May 25, 2017 at 12:31

oops, that should be “some authoritarian Superman” … this is the embodiment of the “there ought to be a law” mentality metastasizing into all realms …

F. G. Sanford

May 25, 2017 at 10:10

Sung to: “It’s Only a Paper Moon”

So it’s just an old Russian plot,
With a playbook to guide the scheme.
Everybody could be a spy,
In this new cold war dream!

Well you could be a Russian mole,
Undermining democracy.
The election that Putin stole
Is plain for all to see!

Without your vote-
The Russkies couldn’t win.
Without your vote-
Clinton didn’t get in, world war three can’t begin,

It’s a Brennan and Clapper world
Full of paranoid lunacy
The deep state is mad as hell
and Putin’s in ecstasy!
********************************
It’s a Neocon global world,
But the bankers ran out of tricks.
If they want to save the one percent,
A war’s the only fix!

Well they know you’re a Russian spy,
You were certainly hypnotized.
You were programmed with secret code-
The Feds will testify!

You’re on that list-
You’re guilty beyond belief!
You’re on that list-
And the Grabber in Chief is a Russian vote thief,

Yes we’re better off dead than red,
Thank heaven for the FISA Court
They’re making a secret list,
McCarthy’s was too short!
*********************************
Now the Constitution’s make believe
And the rule of law is Russia-gate
There’s a Pussy Riot in the streets
Impeachment just can’t wait.

The Russians gave the Clintons loot,
Bill got paid to give a cheesy speech.
John Podesta lobbied for them too
But that’s no ethics breach!

Yes you’ve been had-
And the Clintons got a pile!
Yes you’ve been had-
But the Wikileaks file put a cramp in their style,

Now that Seth Rich is in the news,
And the Feds must investigate-
Seems the Clintons have got the blues
and impeachment might have to wait!

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 11:19

F.G. Sanford – great stuff! You write just like Billy Joel.

Stiv

May 25, 2017 at 12:56

Biily Joel? Man, that’s lame.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 19:10

Billy Joel – a poet and a brilliant songwriter. Have a listen to his Leningrad:

Viktor was born in the spring of ’44
And never saw his father anymore
A child of sacrifice, a child of war
Another son who never had a father after Leningrad

Went off to school and learned to serve the state
Followed the rules and drank his vodka straight
The only way to live was drown the hate
A Russian life was very sad
And such was life in Leningrad

I was born in ’49
A cold war kid in McCarthy time
Stop ’em all at the 38th Parallel
Blast those yellow reds to hell
And cold war kids were hard to kill
Under their desks in an air raid drill
Haven’t they heard we won the war
What do they keep on fighting for?

Viktor was sent to some Red Army town
Served out his time, became a circus clown
The greatest happiness he’d ever found
Was making Russian children glad
That children lived in Leningrad

But children lived in Levittown
And hid in the shelters underground
Until the Soviets turned their ships around
And tore the Cuban missiles down
And in that bright October sun
We knew our childhood days were done
And I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?

And so my child and I came to this place
To meet him eye to eye and face to face
He made my daughter laugh, then we embraced
We never knew what friends we had
Until we came to Leningrad

Yea, you have some talent. Make that Tom Lehrer! You SHOULD ut this stuff to music…play keys or guitar?

F. G. Sanford

May 25, 2017 at 14:56

Appreciate the kind words from both you and B.E. – but for me, the funniest thing in this thread is “Hoe Lieberman”. It’s been about sixteen hours since I read that, and I’m still ROFLMAO! A special thanks to Rosemerry – my sides are still splitting!

Great article by Chris Hedges at Truthdig, “The Death of the Republic”, opens with: “The deep state’s decision in ancient Rome, dominated by a bloated military and a corrupt oligarchy, much like the United States of 2017, to strangle the vain and idiotic emperor Commodus in his bath in the year 192, did not halt the growing chaos and precipitous decline of the Roman Empire.”

Stiv

May 25, 2017 at 13:02

I pinpoint the beginning of the end to Newt Gingrich/Fox news/Limbaugh early to mid 90’s. We kind of survived Reagan but we’re not going to survive Trump..especially if he’s given a free pass…like some here want.

Brad Owen

May 27, 2017 at 08:11

All hail President Pence. Let Armageddon now commence. Look at the entire battlefield, stiv, not just your intense hatred of Trump. The “get Trump” operation is an ” install Pence” operation. Did you know he is a Dominionist? He’ll make an excellent Royal Governor to bring the Americans back into the fold of a newly-created Holy Roman Empire that the Synarchist Internationale has working to create for over a century now. WWII was their first attempt at doing it, but was foiled by Russia and China and USA working together to kill the plan. They realized that for the second attempt, they first had to capture USA as part of the Empire and MAKE it an implacable foe of Russia and China, that was the mission of the neocons…mission accomplished. Trump leans toward making USA work with Russia and China once again, like what FDR wanted, post-war. Trump is a “grave threat” to Synarchist plans for reviving the Holy Roman Empire, with the rest of the World captured as it’s colony, which they regard as the natural order for human society. Stiv hatred for Trump only helps Synarchist plans…way to go Stiv. I was a Bernie voter who fled to Jill Stein and the Greens, so don’t waste my time calling me a Trumper, and go get informed about what-the-hell is REALLY going on in the World, stiv.

Herman

May 25, 2017 at 09:39

When I read the Consortium articles about President Trump, it is not clear whether the writers oppose impeachment or simply would like to impeach the President for different reasons. Whatever the reasons given in the possible articles of impeachment, the impact if they result in removing President Trump will be a victory for the dysfunctional status quo and a warning for future candidates to stay within the lines.

For me and for millions of others Trump is a major disappointment because he did not do what we hoped he would do, to unmask the deep state, to end our militaristic culture and change our relationship with Russia, in particular, and the rest of the world in general. We’re disappointed that he has fallen in line but realistically to do otherwise is very near impossible. As to his sometimes bizarre behavior, it would be a welcome diversion if he would have done but half of what we hoped.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 11:15

Herman – don’t despair. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. I think Trump still wants to make the changes he ran on, but we read here daily about the obstacles they are putting in Trump’s path. Of course, we wouldn’t know what else was said to Trump. He or his family could very well have been threatened because he and Tillerson seemed to change very quickly. Something happened, I think.

This is a seesaw battle, a fight between two factions. Could be Trump went along with the neocons just to provide time, time for his Justice Department to get on top of things. His bombing purposely did not cause much damage, just made a lot of noise, and he at least had the Russians come to the White House. He’s moving along, but slowly.

He’s not much, but he’s the best thing we’ve got against the Deep State. If the Congressional hearings can shed some light, turn up the heat on the lies being told, investigations begin re Clinton, then things could turn around.

mike k

May 25, 2017 at 07:40

The democrat party has already lost credibility entirely for a large number of it’s former supporters. The present dump Trump fiasco represents the desperation of those trying to resuscitate a corpse. I for one would never again vote for a “democrat” even if I live another hundred years.

School Marm

June 2, 2017 at 14:23

And your poor grammer means you’ve lost credibility with everyone reading these posts.

Josh O'Bryant

May 25, 2017 at 07:36

Fuck no this is not what progressives want, it’s only Democrats and “progressives” (Neoliberals) that want to start another war over a lie. It’s impossible to support a Neoliberal war monger like Clinton and be a progressive, that is a contradiction of terms. Actual progressives know that Seth Rich wasn’t Russian and Russia had nothing to do with him giving those emails to Wikileaks. Clinton lost the primary to Bernie Sanders by 15% nationwide before they cancelled the exit polls so California could be stolen, if the ballots were all paper and counted by hand (like functional democracies do) she never stood a chance even with superdelegates. The “democratic” primary was a complete fraud which is why Clinton really lost to Trump, progressives weren’t stupid enough to vote for her after she lost to Bernie and was nominated anyway. Blaming every crime the Democrats committed to nominate the only candidate who could lose to Trump on Russia is making progressives hate the party even more. I agree with you for the most part but you clearly have no idea what a progressive is if you believe any voted for Clinton or are on board with starting a nuclear war so the Democrats don’t have to take responsibility for shooting themselves in the foot when Bernie would have destroyed Trump easily.

Mark Thomason

May 25, 2017 at 07:34

The ends do not justify the means. This lesson is painfully re-learned over and over again.

Susan Stroud

May 25, 2017 at 07:17

For all the Trump slammers, compare what he has done in these first 4 months with 80% negative media, a belligerent and dishonest Democrat party and neverTrumpers of dubious intention with the abuse of power, illegal activities, narcissism and willful ignorance of the messiah Obama.

Canceled TPP
Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines
Got the release of aid worker Aya Hijazi held in Egypt almost 3 years
Protecting our borders
Enforcing immigration laws.
Illegal immigration down 70+%
Deported hundreds of MS-13 illegals
Arrests of illegals up 38% 2016 (75% have criminal records)
Arrests of CRIMINAL illegals up 156% from 2016
Deported 2 waves of illegal Somalis
Massive tax cut and simplification bill underway
Established VOICE to help victims of crime by illegals
Warned bloated bureaucracy to prepare for cuts of 20% and greater.
Returning land seized by Obama to state and rightful owners
Removed global warming nonsense from EPA website
Solicited designs and bids for wall.
Appropriated funds to build winning designs near San Diego to test
Appropriated funds to repair border fence and build new sections
Deployed border guards and will hire 5,000 more
Increased defense spending and BROKE parity rule
Stymied dimocrites party of ‘no’ by changing filibuster rule
Got China working to reign in North Korea
Market up $3 trillion in value since his election
Commitments from Canada & Mexico to renegotiate NAFTA (although congress hasn’t accepted letter allowing negotiations to start)
Originalist supreme court justice
Forming coalition in mid east to control ISIS and Iran
Bringing back 1000s of jobs – each month jobs exceed analyst expectations
Reduced deficit by $100 billion (Obama increased by $600 billion in same time)
Eliminated Obamacare mandate
Passed legislation through the House to repeal/replace Obamacare
Ordered IRS to side with taxpayer & against government
Gutted Obama regulations
Established organization to verify voter rolls – including matching with DHS Alien lists
Ended war on coal
Negotiated initial trade deal with China favorable to US including export of LNG & coal to China
Fighting back against sanctuary cities
Drafted plan to defeat ISIS
Isolated Russia in UN over Syria vote
Signed 2 executive orders to protect us from terrorists (both halted by left wing judges)
Fired Comey
5-Year lobbying ban
Established group to examine and ensure US gov’t cybersecurity (gov’t computers massively hacked under Obama with no consequence)
Sanctioned Iran over missile program
Responded to Syria’s use of Chemical weapons
Created task force to reduce crime
Signed executive order to protect police officers
Signed executive order to target drug cartels
Imposed anti dumping sanctions on Canada
Poll – Trump still beats KILLARY if vote was held today, AND won the popular vote!
This is with 91% negative comments from the main stream media and 98% of DC voting for Hillary
and dimocrites disgracefully drawing out cabinet confirmations to the longest in history.

Imagine how much he’d accomplish if he had patriots serving in DC!

Aaron Aarons

May 25, 2017 at 09:49

With one or two exceptions, everything you mention is a reason for decent people everywhere to despise Oranguturd. Of course, Trumpists are, except for a few real idiots, NOT decent people, but defenders of white privilege and/or U.S.-citizen privilege against the rest of humanity and even against the biosphere!

P.S. I am not a supporter of the D.P., the other party of United Snakes imperialism, either, though its voters, unlike it’s leaders, are generally decent people.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 11:29

Aaron Aarons – “White privilege”? Nonsense. If an African country had spent years building a beautiful nation and culture, and because they had done such a good job they were slowly being overrun by illegals (some criminal) that threatened their beautiful nation and culture, then I highly doubt you’d be calling it “black privilege” if they tried to put a stop to it. If blacks were losing their jobs to the newcomers, if the newcomers got benefits the black indigenous population didn’t get, but worked and paid for, then IMO they’d have every right to put their foot down. They’d be idiots if they didn’t.

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 14:35

You are right.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 11:46

Susan Stroud – great list! The people aren’t stupid. They see the one-sided news coverage, the witch hunt, and all the Deep State is doing is drawing greater attention to themselves, and not in a good way.

Trump is doing all he can do under very difficult circumstances. People realize he’s fighting an uphill battle and that he could do so much more if he wasn’t being strangled at the same time.

Your citing “coalition in mid east to control ISIS and Iran” and “isolated Russia in UN over Syria vote” shows that working with Russia was a false promise.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 15:29

Sam F – I disagree with Trump re Iran (he had better not go along with the neocons on this one), and he wants to befriend Russia, not fight her (he’s said this all along). If he starts jerking around with these two countries, then he’s an idiot.

90% of me agrees with global warming (how could we not be harming the planet?), but I’ve left 10% for the unknown, for the fact that the earth has had cycles before, mini ice-ages, etc. The jury is still out. Wall Street is on board, and that makes me suspect.

On the massive tax cuts, I think Trump’s reasoning is that this will spur on more people to open businesses, get the economy rolling again. At least that’s his thinking, putting people back to work. You can hardly fault him for that.

His increase in defense spending is ridiculous. Was he trying to appease in order to get something else? Who knows.

He needs to smarten up about healthcare, though. He must fight harder for a better system. He could, without going through Congress, have his Justice Department go after the healthcare industry. The monopoly laws are already on the books; they’re just not being enforced. He needs to use these existing laws to bring down the cost of healthcare.

Sam F

May 25, 2017 at 17:26

Yes, I mention “global warming” reluctantly, only because I’m tired of hearing about it, and it is used as a distraction from far more serious and immediate problems.

There are benefits to protectionism and it sells domestically, but it is generally just selfishness. No one wants dangerous illegals here, so I consider that a sweetener for programs to deport the non-dangerous. Tight borders are not immoral acts for nations with massive foreign aid programs of greater efficiency than immigration, but the US does not have that.

Yes, if there were an effective and enforced lobbying ban one could only approve, but I very much doubt that this will happen, given the current lobbying arrangements and history of the admin itself. Dumping TPP appears to be a plus.

But Trump has negated his promise of cooperation with Russia by making massive arms sales to KSA, massive grants to Israel, and apparently starting to blame Iran. It is hard to distinguish the gestures from policy, but it begins to look like Trump has signed on to more proxy wars for Israel and KSA. We shall see soon enough.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 18:21

This is what I don’t understand: it appears okay to scrap the TPP in order to protect and/or bring back jobs. This is smart because it works to ensure that the jobs are given to the people who are buying the products, not someone in Asia. We’ve heard the cries of protectionism and “that’s not fair to the Third World”, but it doesn’t wash with me. If they want to think as global citizens and worry more about others than the guy next door, then maybe they should go live there themselves. Of course, that’s not their motive (which is to secure cheap labor and have no environmental controls), but they use this excuse all the time. So that’s the first protectionist policy.

Secondly, if we dare think protectionism with immigration, the cries of “racism” and “bigotry” start flying fast and furious. How about protecting jobs? When massive amounts of low-skilled workers come in, what does that do to wages? Supply and demand, as far as I know, still applies. It puts tremendous pressure on the education/medical system. Citizens, who are already straining to keep their own heads above water, are now supposed to pay for the illegals? What side of crazy is this?

Remittances sent back to the home country already far exceed foreign aid programs. You work under the table for cash, and then send a good deal of it offshore, propping up your relatives at home. There’s already great inequality in some African villages – some have TV’s, microwaves, all the necessities, provided by money from back home, while others don’t. They don’t because they don’t have a relative who managed to get into a First World country.

And this money isn’t taxed at the source, so the host country doesn’t benefit. And if it was taxed, curtailing the amount of money sent back home, how many would stay in the host country? This is the new foreign aid program – remittances. Do these illegals have allegiance to the new country, or are they economic migrants who are here for awhile and then gone?

So it appears that one protectionist policy is good (TPP) while the other is bad (securing your borders). I don’t have the answers, but we do need to ask the questions. Because a lot of Americans are suffering too. I think they get forgotten about, they’re just the deplorables.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 18:32

Sam F – yes, Trump had better get a handle on his foreign policy. I do not like how he’s posturing. Of course, he was probably told that the arms sales to Saudi Arabia will provide “jobs” back home, you know, you can’t stop the “jobs”. This is what happens when people are clamoring for jobs and there’s a surplus of labor. The elite can get away with anything because if you go against them, then you’re screwing with precious jobs.

Israel? Call me when someone gets to the bottom of that cesspool. If anything is crying out for investigation, it is Israel. Then open up the investigation to every single Congressman and Senator who is taking money from Israel or being threatened/blackmailed by them.

And Iran is no threat to the U.S. Trump had better just drop this nonsense.

Who knows what’s happening, but Trump and Tillerson seemed to change on a dime. All of a sudden they started talking in a different tone of voice and Russia was somehow bad. We don’t know what was going on behind the scenes. Perhaps they had some bad photos of Trump or Tillerson, some dirt, or maybe their families were threatened. Maybe they were told that impeachment could be a reality and Trump wanted to get more done before given the heave-ho. Who knows.

Yes, we will see soon enough.

Stiv

May 25, 2017 at 13:11

LOL! Three quarters of your list is exactly why I have opposed him. But he’s busy bringing himself down. Fucking Trumpists want to put the blame everywhere except where it belongs…square in his lap. You’re full of shit in so many areas….you can start with the last couple “alternative facts” you post here. What a goddamn joke.

And this has nothing to do with “Killary” anymore. She lost. And Trump IS lost…the blame is right there. You think we should roll over for this decrepit, corrupt and morally bankrupt clown? Sorry sis….

LJ

May 25, 2017 at 21:40

He put Social Security on the table after the Republican House voted through it’s version of Health Care reform. If the Senate were to go along with this and they will not , but IF, 23 million would lose Health Care over the next 4 years. The Republicans have cut their own throats . They should have done Infrastructure and Taxes first. That they did not shows Trump did not have a clue. He is already a lame duck and will probably not even attempt to run for a second term. A couple points, . Keystone XL will create at most 55 full time positions in the United States if it is ever completed. Canada’s Prime Minister has stated that Canada will move away from exploitation of unconventional tar sands oil because it is not cost effective and is inconsistent with Canada’s obligations under the Paris Accords. Oil companies have already moved away from investment in Canadian tar sands only existing projects are going forward. Also, The Originality Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion of what is clearly the worst decision ever rendered by the US Supreme Court. That is Gore v. Bush 2000 ( and by the way I did not vote for Gore) With less than 300 votes separating the candidates after millions were cast when 5000 votes were thrown out in Dade County alone on a ballot error,, When thousands were illegally purged from voter rolls and vote suppression was documented on Election Day in Florida and with 3 separate computer chips being submitted in Broussard County as Official Results,,,, that a recount was not allowed was not consistent with the US Constitution which rests on the Primary clause that “There shall be a vote”. Bush did not win Florida or Ohio either where vote fraud was proven to have occurred. He should never have been allowed to appoint the activist judges Roberts and Alito to the court. The Scalia Court is the most activist Court in our nation;s history and Judicial Activism is not “Originalist”. The whole idea of Activist Judges calling themselves Originalists is absurd.. A Scalia wanna-be was the last thing this country needed. Trump is not Presidential. Very poor judgement so far. Maybe he’ll get better . Don’t be too happy.
the worst

V. Putin

June 2, 2017 at 14:20

Well done, Comrade. Your stipend in rubles has been deposited to your account.

Brad Owen

May 25, 2017 at 07:11

Mr. Parry, go to Executive Intelligence Review, to get some deep background on what is really going on with this “get Trump” and the Russia thing. Go to their Search Box. Type in “Fight Fascism the way Franklin Roosevelt did” and read this article. In a very real sense WWII didn’t end on the battlefields. Sure some soldiers and civilians got killed, a few Generals were hung, some Dictators bit the dust, but what was overlooked were the Boardrooms where these plans were conceived, decades before their execution. What has happened is these Boardrooms transferred their base-of-operations to America, immediately after FDR died; and changed their strategy too. Instead of a European Fascist Empire to rule the rest of the World as their colony (a plan in which they nearly succeeded), they will turn America into that Fascist Empire, and, along with the Europeans, rule the rest of the World as their colony (those 1000 U.S. military bases around the World, NATO in Afghanistan, etc…). Trump isn’t part of this. He is a potential OBSTACLE to this, but he does need a competent handler with depth-of-insight (the EIR folks are working on this). The ones trying to “Coup” Trump are the ones that are part of this Global Fascist movement. I would suspect Pence as being part of this thing too. Read the article please. It was written in the summer of 2003, and is very prescient.

john wilson

May 25, 2017 at 04:57

This tenacious witch hunt against Trump largely by the Democrats is puzzling because even if Trump was chucked out it doesn’t mean that Hillary would automatically take over. Although Trump is basically an independent president he is in reality a Republican president so should he go, I can’t see the Republicans just handing the presidency over to Hillary. So what’s her beef? Is that she just hates Trump or is she so delusional that she thinks she will become queen Hillary the president?

The credibility of US intelligence services is at an all time low and sinking even further.
Guardian leading headline this morning: “UK police ‘stop passing information to US’ over leaks of key evidence”.

Montana is dangerous for the press. Bam Bam is running for office. Best place to observe the political race is from the monkey cage.

“When a man has no enemy left there must be something mean about him.” O. Wilde

Car Wash operation is expanding!

rosemerry

May 25, 2017 at 02:11

It is easy to see the arrogance and hubris of the “exceptional country” which interferes in elections whenever it chooses (often) then claims that this is done to it by Russia with no evidence. Ever since the proud installation by the Clinton “help” in 1996 ,of the drunken Yeltsin against the known will of the Russian people, then the rise of a Russian leader who refused to be a US puppet, and who was supported by the population, the US Russophobia has been encouraged by the MSM and certain leaders.

Realist

May 25, 2017 at 07:12

I’ll tell you one thing: the Russians would not have favored such an outcome. Not with the hysterical response and instability of the American government that has ensued. The Russians are cautious, they prefer predictability and stability. They would be remiss not to collect intelligence on the American candidates and events during the campaign (every advanced country did), but they didn’t try to influence or interfere because i) there was no effective mechanism for them to do so and ii) they never could have predicted an outcome. All the best analysts in this country gave Hillary a 90% chance of winning. Opposing her would have been like tilting at windmills and only made her angrier than she normally is. It’s a foolish notion. The exceptional country wants you to believe a lot of rubbish.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 11:13

Additional to Realist’s point, what we continue to have difficulty grasping is the use of demonization and designated enemies as smoke screen to cover other purposes. So to the Kafkian comments of Brennan quoted by Parry reminding strongly of the hysteria in WWI and then the McCarthy era. Reading RT and arguing sympathetically for the Russians indicates the person is caught in a Russian snare, even perhaps innocently (this last said with the illusion of generosity and compassion). JQ Public is massaged by propaganda agencies, including currently the intelligence agencies, to be distracted and irrational with a fake enemy. The Public can’t remember W used the same tactic with Saddam Hussein just a few years ago, and on we go. All of this is the cover-jacket screen for the economic one-world plan to control it, and action officially designated as “protection” or “the good guys protecting the innocent.” So we have such irrational and truly insane notions that Iran and Russia are the basic problems we need war against. I believe these kinds of concerns led in the past to the works of Zamiatin, Huxley, Orwell, Burgess trying to warn us. However, we have tended to take them mostly as entertainment, and have not yet worked adequately to safeguard against these developments.

yes…The globalists are bringing the least likely charge against Trump(russia did it and Trump is in on it) because it mis-directs the actual intent, which is demonizing Russia and Iran. Otherwise they woud not be as able to run such anti-russian propaganda with little or no pushback…i just read a poll where 63%? of americans generally think russia did it now, and act like its a known fact. Facts are the one thing that has never showed up. i think they are taking this long because they are having trouble fabricating the “secret intelligence” that they will eventually bring forward as a case for war…remember how the intel was cooked to the agenda with iraq,,,same game…why change a plan that works, eh? I beleive the globalists are going to use the US, one last time, to start a major war with Russia and Iran…it will bankrupt the US…the US is at the end of its usefulness to the globalist…and bankrupting america will help them consolidate their power…..
….war is coming
regards
D

Joe Tedesky

May 25, 2017 at 01:00

Here’s a link to the only Democrate who seems to know what it is we should be talking about, and not Russia-Gate….

Oh and Robert Parry kudos on your prospective. Brennen is like ‘Reefer Madness’!

Stephen Schubert

May 25, 2017 at 00:40

An entirely moot discussion as the person in question has Alzheimer’s.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 00:18

“A core problem with what Brennan and other Obama administration officials have set in motion is that the suspicions are so vague at this point – even some 10 months into the investigation – that a paranoia has taken over.” It appears that that’s the case, unfortunately.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

backwardsevolution

May 24, 2017 at 23:29

Rep. Jim Himes said: “‘The Kremlin Playbook’ … says further that Russia looks to corrode democracy by, quote, ‘Investing in rising politicians, cultivating relationships with prominent businessmen, or helping to ensure that its business affiliates become well-positioned in government.’

Does this rhyme with Israel, or what? Russia pales in comparison; not even in the same ball park.

And Rep. Jim Himes is Harvard-educated, a Rhodes scholar from Oxford? What? Please tell me that he doesn’t really believe what he’s saying! Is it that he’s followed everything he’s been told, swallowed every line from his professors, stifled all thought and wrapped his brain in a cocoon? This is a so-called educated man and yet, without any evidence, he’s willing to be part of a witch hunt. Amazing.

Have we all gone mad?

Realist

May 25, 2017 at 06:59

Apparently all but a few folks here… have gone mad, that is.

This is obviously an organised conspiracy to listen to everyone in government and every deep state functionary they put on the stand spouting the same delusional nonsense.

If this organised insurrection succeeds, where will they stop? If they can overthrow an elected president why would they stop there? What parts of the constitution get re-written or deleted? What laws, regulations, government programs get changed or dropped merely via edict by the new powers? Maybe this is how they plan to erase the federal deficit… simply confiscate everyone’s bank accounts… or devalue the dollar… or issue new money. This threat of nuclear war, which most people should dearly want to avoid, might be the golden opportunity for the 0.001% to seize full control. It’s already been a slow ride to 1984. Maybe that was merely to the top of the roller coaster.

Brad Owen

May 25, 2017 at 13:08

A Rhodes scholar did you say? That would be a Cecil Rhodes (of Rhodesia fame) scholar, progenitor of The RoundTable Group, working in tandem with Synarchist Internationale to re-invent the “Natural Order” of the Holy Roman Empire of Medieval fame (bit the dust in the Napoleonic Wars; with ole Nappie himself becoming the ideal role model for Emperor). I guess Rep. Jim is being groomed as a promising colonial American Tory politician cultivating business relationships, and revolving doors as needed for The Empire. Google “Fight Fascism the way Franklin Roosevelt did” to see what we’re up against. Trump is seen as a potential OBSTACLE to this plan, as are also Russia, China, and the Belt&Road Forum policy (the ideal policy to fight fascism the way Franklin Roosevelt did).

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 14:19

I am in favor of McCarthyism …IF its directed at the right traitors.
And while all this is going on this is the perfect time to add something to the howling .
And we don’t even need an investigation on US traitors for the Jewish lobby/money and Israel—it’s all already been affirmed and out in the public domain for anyone interested to see.

Rep Jim Himes…….”Throughout the process, we must never forget that Israel is the sole functioning democracy and our most reliable ally in the Middle East. Its history, politics, and thriving economy create a special and unbreakable bond between Americans and Israelis, and I will continue to support measures which strengthen our nation’s relationship with this critical partner.”

Rep. Jim Himes (CT): “…when family is at risk, we lean in to our family and we remind the world that there is a reason why Israel is a part of our family – a reason of values, a reason of democracy, and the reason that we stand here today to remind the world that Israel is our family.”

Rep. Gary Ackerman (NY): “The loss of life is regrettable, but wholly the fault and responsibility of the organizers of the effort to break through Israel and Egypt’s legitimate closure of terrorist-controlled Gaza.”
Rep. Shelley Berkley (NV): “In the aftermath of this incident, I call on the world community to stand with Israel against further illegal provocation aimed at Israeli forces pledged to defend innocent lives against terrorist threats.”
Rep. Sanford Bishop (GA): “I want to repeat my support for the State of Israel and its right to defend itself from terrorist attacks in the strongest terms possible.”
Rep. Dan Boren (OK): “We must remain resolutely committed to uphold Israel’s right to self-defense. I urge my fellow colleagues also to voice their support for Israel on this important issue.”
Rep. Robert Brady (PA): “First, the State of Israel has the absolute right to exist and to defend itself… the sovereignty and safety of Israel are fundamental to the security of United States. We will never abandon Israel or deny her right to defend herself.”
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (MD): “…it’s important that we keep in mind that Israel has a right to ensure the security of its borders and protect its citizens from terror.”
Rep. Dennis Cardoza (CA): “However, I firmly believe Israel has the right – and the absolute responsibility – to protect its citizens.”
Rep. Jim Costa (CA): “The United States must stand with Israel as they’ve been placed in this unfortunate situation. Israel is one of our strongest allies and must remain a critical partner in combating terrorism and extremism around the globe.”
Rep. Joe Crowley (NY): “If Gaza wants the blockade lifted, its leaders know precisely what to do: immediately end its drive to destroy the state of Israel.”
Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): “The delivery of aid to Gaza by this flotilla convoy was a pretense arranged by the participants in order to launch an act of political provocation against Israel…I urge the Security Council to quickly pass the toughest possible sanctions on Iran.”
Rep. Brad Ellsworth (IN): “During these times of crisis, the relationship between the United States and Israel must remain strong. Let there be no doubt Israelis have the right to defend themselves and their homeland against the threat of violence.”
Rep. Eliot Engel (NY): “…Israel, like every other sovereign nation, has the right to defend itself, [that] Israel has at least twice seized large caches of arms aboard Iranian ships bound for Hamas and Hezbollah, and a blockade is an appropriate security measure when employed in the face of hostility such as that directed by Hamas against Israel.”
Rep. Barney Frank (MA): “…I don’t remember quite so much worldwide outrage when the North Koreans sank a South Korean submarine and 46 people were killed.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY): “While I am deeply saddened by the loss of life, we must recognize that Israel has the right to defend herself…”
Rep. Alan Grayson (FL): “It’s a fundamental duty of the Israeli military to protect the people of Israel, just as it’s a fundamental duty of our military to protect us. What they did was what they needed to do in order to ensure the safety of their own people…”
Rep. John Hall (NY): “I will keep working hard in Congress to ensure that Israel continues to have the full support and backing of the United States.”
Rep. Debbie Halvorson (IL): “I strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself as a sovereign nation and keep its borders secure.”
Rep. Phil Hare (IL): “I fully support Israel and her right to defend herself in this or any other situation.”
Rep. Jim Himes (CT): “…when family is at risk, we lean in to our family and we remind the world that there is a reason why Israel is a part of our family – a reason of values, a reason of democracy, and the reason that we stand here today to remind the world that Israel is our family.”
Rep. Paul Hodes (NH): “Without question, Israel has both the right to act in self-defense and the duty to protect its people from terror.”
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD): “…I thank those who have joined in raising our voice to defend actions that really need no defense, actions that any nation on Earth would take if it were similarly threatened, any nation on Earth.”
Rep. Steve Israel (NY): “A group of people chose to violate international law and Israel has the right to defend itself.”
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL): “…Israel maintains the legitimate, fundamental right to defend and protect itself. The Israeli government has an obligation to prevent the flow of weapons and fighters into Gaza, sent there for one purpose only – to kill Israelis.”
Rep. Ron Klein (FL): “Israel has the right – indeed, the obligation – to defend itself. With a ship threatening to breach Israel’s defenses of its coastal border, Israel was left with no choice but to ensure the safety of its people.”
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ): “Israel has every right to defend itself and enforce its blockade against the terrorist Hamas government in Gaza.”
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT): “Israel exercised her legitimate right to self defense.”
Rep. Nita Lowey (NY): “Israel has the right to defend herself and the responsibility to protect her citizens from Hamas, which denies Israel’s right to exist and rains rockets down on its citizens.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY): “I truly sympathize with the families of those who were killed or injured in the Mavi Marmara, but the fault lies with those who incited violence, not with those who defended Israel’s borders.”
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY): “I fully support Israel and their right to jeep its people safe.”
Rep. Michael E. McMahon (NY): “Just as America protects its borders, Israel – and any other country – has the right to maintain and defend its own borders.”
Rep. Kendrick Meek (FL): “Israel has the right and duty to defend itself and protect its citizens against all threats.”
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD): “First, Israel, like all countries, has the right to self-defense.”
Rep. Patrick Murphy (PA): “…Israel has the right and responsibility to self-defense.”
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY): “It has been absolutely galling to watch the hypocrisy and the fury, the underserved fury directed at Israel for taking a step in its own self defense.”
Rep. Glenn Nye (VA): “I maintain my strong support for Israel’s right to exist and to protect herself.”
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ): “I believe it is vital that we support Israel’s right to defend its people and to exercise authority in ensuring dangerous resources do not reach the terrorist organization Hamas.”
Rep. Gary Peters (MI): “I am puzzled that so many around the world are so quick to condemn Israel’s acts of self-defense while they are slow to speak out on the dangerous nuclear ambitions of Iran – even as just yesterday news broke that Iran has the fuel for two nuclear weapons.”
Rep. Mike Quigley (IL): “Israel must be able to defend itself and keep weapons out of the hands of Hamas. And the U.S. must stand with Israel.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV): “Israel is one of our strongest and most important allies, and the United States stands firmly with Israel at this critical time.”
Rep. Steve Rothman (NJ): “The U.S. stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel in our fights against violent extremism.”
Rep. John Sarbanes (MD): “…we are left to conclude that the persistence of the Mavi Marmara in seeking to breach the blockade was intended to provoke a clash with Israeli Defense Forces. That in fact occurred and things went terribly awry, resulting in the tragic loss of nine lives.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (CA): “Israel has the right and the duty to defend its citizens from attack…”
Rep. Allison Schwartz (PA): “Israel has the right to protect and defend itself. The blockade of Gaza exists to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza and to protect the citizens of Israel, who have been subjected to thousands of rocket attacks launched by Hamas since 2005.”
Rep. Joe Sestak (PA): “Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (FL): “One of the things that is unbelievable to me has been the criticism and the questions that have been thrown at Israel: first, that they supposedly boarded the flotilla ships in international waters as if they somehow didn’t have the right to do that. That this is a legal blockade, there isn’t any disputing that. They are well within their rights and, understandably, are defending their borders and their people.”
Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY): “While the demand for answers seems to echo in capitals around the world, the facts here are largely known. We know this tragedy was instigated by Turkey. We know that Israel had not only warned that this boat was in violation of an entirely lawful blockade, but had offered safe harbor to the boat in Ashdod. We also know that a known terrorist group – Hamas – has put its hateful agenda over the well being of its people. Any loss of life is tragic. This loss was the result of Turkish instigation and Hamas terror policies. Even if we are the only country on earth that sees the facts here, the United States should stand up for Israel.”

Our United States Congress hard at work, doing what it’s told.

backwardsevolution

May 25, 2017 at 15:08

Cal – all bought. Disgusting.

Zachary Smith

May 24, 2017 at 23:28

We now know that if all the ballots considered legal under Florida law had been counted Al Gore would have won regardless of which standard of “chad” was used.

Excuse me for the slight diversion here, but it’s really nice to see that obviously true statement in print.

Regarding the rest of the FUBAR situation, the “Democrats” are proving themselves to be at least as lawless as Trump. Even when Trump does something obviously impeachable, they’re not going to touch the subject if it’s something they were pushing him to do. Witness that 59-cruise missile attack on the Syrian Air base.

Horrible as Trump has turned out to be, he is President. He needs to be compelled to behave according to the Constitution, and the moronic Republicans and the ethically challenged Democrats aren’t going to do anything even approximating their actual jobs. Which in turn leaves the highly illegal power grab by Big Intelligence an open field. When Pence Republicans and Hillary Democrats all quietly (or loudly!) cheer the secret alphabet agencies, what can be done?

What a mess.

Realist

May 25, 2017 at 06:45

What a mess indeed. I see some people here are rooting for Trump to be removed from office because of his glaring deficiencies. We all saw the man on display for a year and a half of campaigning, so his lack of intelligence, inelegance and inarticulateness should come as no surprise. Basically he was unacceptable and Hillary Clinton was equally unacceptable but for very different reasons. Nevertheless, the process played out according to the rules of the game, as Mr. Parry makes quite clear in his introduction.

I don’t want to see this made an even bigger travesty with a collection of shadowy figures in the “Deep State,” including many ruthless and immoral thugs in the intelligence community forcing an elected president out of office through a campaign of lies, innuendo and flimsy accusations. Frankly, the rap that the man is a traitor and a pawn of Russia is an absurd scenario, more juvenile than the “dog ate my homework” cop out kids would use in the third grade. It’s unbelievable that the media would make themselves accomplices in such a crime and unforgivable that the American people either do not see through this transparent ruse or do not give a goddam about it. Apparently, they don’t really care who runs this country and how that person is put into place if they do not object to this kangaroo court that Hillary and the Demoncrats have cooked up.

That being the case, they deserve whatever they get. I wouldn’t expect too many favors from Mike Pence for the working class or Democrats with progressive aspirations. You fools need to consider all the ramifications of your actions, not simply what happens on the day you get two thirds of the senate to kick Trump to the curb.

If un-elected forces behind the scenes can get an elected president overthrown, what makes you think you’ll ever have another chance to cast another vote? We’ve seen democracies killed in many other countries. This country has instigated many of those “regime changes,’ often through violence and death. It’s a lot easier to dismantle a democracy than to create a functional one.

If we have forcible regime change here because some sore-loser Democrats could not abide the traditional peaceful transfer of power, what makes them think that the whole constitution, including the Bill of Rights won’t be thrown out as well? If we are throwing out presidents, why stop there? And you righties better be prepared to lose your second amendment rights if such wholesale changes are put on the agenda. Folks better tell their senators and representatives to stop this nonsense now, before they have to take to the street to reclaim what may be stolen from them.

DK-5

May 25, 2017 at 10:57

@Realist: I think this commentary hits on the additionally serious issue, based on a principled notion, that the system we have is still working to some extent, whereas a sinister move to oust Trump seriously damages it further. This is a good consideration. On the other hand, Trump, as directed largely by his ego needs, including such dangerous and stupid actions as firing missiles into the Syrian airbase a few hours after a supposed chemical attack (with no follow-up investigation) suggests he is sufficiently dangerous to be judged incompetent. The argument has been made in this thread that previous presidents were indeed unfit, so it seems we might be able to argue Trump is “the least unfit” due to signs (there may still be some) of his intentions to honorably serve the office.

Skip Scott

May 25, 2017 at 07:30

If they impelled Trump to behave according to the Constitution, he would be the first President to do so in a long time. Particularly concerning Article VI, which makes The Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter the supreme law of the land, since they are signed treaties. W was even quoted as saying the Constitution was “just a piece of paper”, and his AG Alberto Gonzales called the Geneva Conventions “quaint”.

Tomk – interesting email from John Podesta: “I’m definitely for making an example of a suspected leaker whether or not we have any real basis for it.” Assange would not be coming forward and offering a reward if it was not Seth Rich who provided the DNC emails. Assange is not doing this with anyone else.

The very best thing that could happen to America in regards to Putin and Russia, is that both nations become allies. Then Putin and Trump could work together towards a solid road to peace. The ‘war hawks’, like Hillary and McCain, should be taken out of any political position! The world has seen enough war!!!! It’s time to, in the words of John Lennon, “give peace a chance”.
That’s something that would have never happened under Hillary! Just for that reason, I’m glad Trump got in. There wasn’t much to chose from in any case. I was leaning towards Bernie, but the DNC made sure he was eliminated. Dems are making fools of themselves and it’s embarrassing for the country!!! I live in the south pacific on a small island. Been here since the ‘Kent State’ murders. Best move I ever made, but I still miss America the beautiful, but not the government. Corruption is rampent and there seems too be no end in sight. MSM is rediculous! Lobbyist are in control and there should be a fixed term for all politicians. That’s one mans opinion!!

Fred

May 25, 2017 at 14:41

I really like your opinion!

mike k

May 24, 2017 at 22:00

Uneasy lies the head that wears the Crown.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 22:36

I very much like this quotation, thanks Mike.

mike k

May 24, 2017 at 21:55

Those who seek absolute control over every circumstance and possible actor, are especially prone to extreme paranoid delusions about possible enemies. As much as they desperately desire absolute control and total safety, they know in their heart they don’t have it, and that makes them anxious and likely to see innocent shadows as dangerous foes. Our leaders are like that. And they try to induce the public to share their fears.

To relax or enter into dialog with perceived enemies is seen as dangerous and to be avoided. To trust anyone makes you vulnerable to a sneak attack. Being armed to the teeth at all times is the only possible policy. Potential enemies are everywhere. They will surely be laying dire offensive plans, just as you are hatching your own aggressive schemes….. Sound familiar?

Lois Gagnon

May 24, 2017 at 21:47

When push comes to shove, most so called progressives in the US are not progressive at all. They just like the feel good rhetoric that the Dem leadership showers on them so they don’t have to do any heavy lifting. Even after blatant cheating during the primaries, most are still clinging to the hopelessly corrupt party out of fear and loathing of Trump as if that is their only option.

I’ve pretty much given up trying to convince anyone who falls into this category to listen to reason. They’re just not interested.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 22:08

I posted a similar comment to this in yesterday’s thread, and I’d like to bring it back. Much of what is said in this forum makes me reflect on the disturbing split that has occurred on the Left. I think this division is shown in a discussion I had with a good friend yesterday. This other Left-side view is—Trump is strongly disparaged; Clinton is not liked but “too old” and needs replacing; the DEM party is still good to go with Bernie greatly helping, especially in informing young people; DNC corruption and problems with The Clinton Foundation are resisted, bringing silence and not much interest; Russia-gate is pretty much accepted; America is still the shining beacon on the hill Obama said it was; not much interest in (denialism in the sense of preposterous) of a deep state controlling the US and the Globe.

It’s difficult for me to understand this splitting away in the Left to this orthodox and uncritical view (apart from critiquing Trump) unless, fundamentally, the ingrained myth of America as incapable of doing anything but good has overcome ability to use their skepticism. I think it’s called “blind faith.”

tina

May 24, 2017 at 22:34

educate yourself. listen to an elder or professional , live it yourself. experience . All three voices are valid. But please do not do a Koresh or Trump thing , in that only one person has the answer for everything.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 22:40

This is not a coherent reply, Tina. Who or what has said only one person has the answer for everything?

Libby

May 25, 2017 at 12:11

I think, D5-5, that your last paragraph summarizes the deeper reason behind the demise of our political system: the acquiescence or both the system and the American people to their domination by corporatists and the war machine.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 13:57

Libby, yes, your summary is right on. Money rules. This is deeply sensed, as indicated by response to Sanders and Trump in the campaign, but the system is rotten. IMO Sanders, if he had prevailed to be nominated and won the election, would be getting the same type of rejection as Trump as a threat to that system.

tina

May 24, 2017 at 22:25

I am interested why do you dismiss me? I am getting trying to get citizens to the polls, by providing rides, bus tickets, Yeah, sure I feel helpless, as do you, and maybe my efforts will go no where, but I am doing,, whoever you are Gagnon, look at the map of Wisconsin, Paul Ryan’s District. It stretches from Janesville to Racine and Kenosha ,and lots of areas in between. Guess who lives in Beloit? Diane Hendriks and her wealthy family, who incidentally pays no property taxes. So how can we argue against gerrymandering and the courts? We try our best. We collude and I mean collude, with the ACLU, and other organizations that promote
truth, justice, and honesty.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 22:35

Tina, are you talking to me? I certainly do not dismiss you. I did mention you in the earlier thread in the context of the above comment as perhaps similar to my friend I just spoke about. No disrespect I hope. And good for you with your political activism. We may be having some misunderstandings, in which case you can say a little more maybe, and boost an argument if you want to make one. I like to see us trying to work together.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 10:58

Sorry. Messed up the response thread here.

M. L.

May 25, 2017 at 09:48

Yes Lois, I have found the same. It is a useless endeavor to attempt explaining these things to so-called progressives. I attribute it ultimately, to a dash of intellectual laziness and heaping cupful of financial comfortableness, with a dollop of smug arrogance atop it all.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 10:46

Which progressives are you referring to? Or who or what you are referring to, to avoid your own critical characterization–intellectual laziness, etc–falling back on yourself?

Lois Gagnon

May 25, 2017 at 12:41

The progressives I’m referring to are those who still pine for and worship Obama. You can lay out (and I have) all of the nasty and unconstitutional things he did and it falls on deaf ears. I think it’s because Obama made them feel good about being phony progressives. He’s a master at it. That’s why I said the phony progressives just want to feel good instead of doing the heavy lifting of taking on the corporate run establishment. That involves too much risk and discomfort.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 14:05

Thanks, Lois. I was trying to sort out the confusion on what “left” and “progressive” means today, as with my note above on talking to my friend as a different stripe of “progressive” to myself. Splits in this left may apparently run to several factions, some of which would not traditionally be called “left” (as with Obama worshippers) who might have once been considered “center-right” and not lumped in. The term “progressive” has also been generalized into a pejorative.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 21:45

Brennan indicates signs of mental illness. He also said today, on asked whether he knew Russia had interfered with the election, “I don’t know.” At the same time he is very confident of the essential nature of the Russian Threat as straight out of the Kremlin Handbook from a bygone era. Such ignorance, stupidity, and paranoia will not go unnoticed by JQ Public.

Nancy

May 25, 2017 at 12:44

You are right about Brennan, but I am not too sure about JQ Public. They are being propagandized 24/7 about the “Russian thing” and it is all too bizarre for most people to make any sense of unless they have the intellectual curiosity to seek the truth on sites like this.

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 13:53

Hi Nancy. Yes, I’m probably too optimistic. The dark paranoid tones of Brennan suggesting that there is a huge Russian spider web ensnaring anyone who doesn’t demonize Putin etc. seems so far over the top I want to believe it can’t fly. But McCarthyism certainly did, like a horrible disease epidemic, and Brennan resembles this type of force.

Nancy

May 25, 2017 at 15:57

It is disheartening that the public is so easily manipulated, but the power of the corporate media is overwhelming and most people are so busy trying to survive and have a semblance of a “life” that they lack the ability to see what’s happening in plain sight! I guess McCarthyism was so long ago it’s faded from memory, although anything related to Russia still seems to stir people up.

Liz

May 25, 2017 at 18:03

Can you offer an explanation to this reasonable statement?

“…If Trump truly believes that this whole thing is a made-up story, then he should be unrelentingly supportive of the Mueller investigation. Because Mueller is the only person at this point who can clear away all the smoke and show that there is no fire….”

D5-5

May 25, 2017 at 20:33

The only problem with it I see is the question of Mueller’s integrity. Theoretically, an investigator would do just that, but then again the three major agencies have all failed on that question. Tell me about Mueller.

historicus

May 24, 2017 at 21:32

When you make the blanket assertion “with the exception of the Civil War when the [American electoral] process broke down over the South’s insistence on slavery”, please recall the facts. The slaveholder elite did their best to sabotage the 1860 election by keeping Lincoln’s name off the ballot in the nine southern states they controlled, and by shattering the Democratic Party into two factions, guaranteeing the election of what they anticipated would be a radical antislavery Republican President and a casus belli. Instead, at the last moment, Lincoln won the nomination over his nationally known extremist rivals – because, unlike southern fantasists, GOP leaders knew that running an antislavery candidate would be suicide at the polls.

The slaveholder lobby had directed federal policy right from the start, comprising as they did initially the wealthiest region of the Union. They resorted to the pseudo-legalistic trumpery of secession only after they lost control of the Executive Branch in 1860 to a party that forbade only the expansion of slavery into the new western territories. Nothing in that year’s Republican platform threatened slavery anywhere where it was established, as Lincoln clearly affirmed in his First Inaugural Address.

Ironically there was no popular interest, and no legal method, to abolish slavery before the Confederate insurgency placed both these tools into the hands of the tiny Abolitionist minority.

It is another, grimmer irony that if the slave states had succeeded in breaking away from the United States, their ultimately resurgent leaders would not have been able to hijack the industrial might of the free states to create America’s trademark policy of waging aggressive mechanized war on the rest of the world. The project of American dominance of the world originated with the slave barons of the old South, whose strategists repeatedly boasted of creating a hemisphere-wide slave power. In their vision the Stars and Stripes would proudly wave over an empire of human suffering that would extend from the Mason-Dixon Line to Tierra del Fuego at the very tip of South America.

There IS prima facie evidence that there were contacts between members of Trump’s campaign and Russian officials or operatives. The only way to determine if these contacts were proper, not nefarious, IS to investigate them. Just as one can’t presume the contacts had to be illegal or improper, one cannot assume they were totally innocuous. Having followed Trump’s career from the 1980s, and his “modus operandi”, my supposition is that those contacts most likely had to do with favorable treatment of or support for the Trump clan’s businesses, and some of the staff’s own financial interests. I agree that there is little to no evidence so far available that the contacts had anything to do with the election, except for taking place during the process. But as I said, given Trump’s long history of manipulating situations and events for his own gain, we have to pursue these contacts and connections, and Mr. Trump would be wise to assist in clearing up the nebulous nature of this whole issue. My guess is that we’ll find that it’s more a case of corrupt practices [a Trump forte] than one of treasonous actions against our Republic and its election processes. I believe his administration will turn out to be one of the most corrupt ever in this country – I don’t believe, however, that he is so stupid as to be a traitor.

Tomk

May 24, 2017 at 21:54

Uh….Your position seems to be that “contacts” with the Russians justify “investigation”? Clinton had plenty of Russian “contacts”, profitable ones too…, with the Uranium deal and the cash pocketed by Bill and the “Foundation” etc….Podesta too….All sorts of people have had “contacts” with the Russians since the Berlin Wall fell….Harvard, major oil companies….Are we going to “investigate” them all or just the ones the Neocons and their Globalist media decide to target along with their friends in the Deep State who want another Cold War with Russia for financial gain for themselves and their friends — and possibly a “hot” one by accident or otherwise….otherwise normal people are now stating the insane as normal, I predict a false flag gets us into WWIII in the fairly near future…Then all those enjoying the “Russia did it” lie and encouraging what is to come can pat themselves on the back as to their great accomplishment as millions die, truly people swallowing this idiotic lie of “Russia did it” are insane or insanely stupid….

Sam F

May 25, 2017 at 09:34

Yes, we should investigate all political influence, but there is no excuse to focus on the least likely influences to cover up the known influences. The Russiagate story is just a smokescreen for the Israel/KSAgate and DNC corruption. It has already been thoroughly debunked and should receive no further press until the others are fully exposed.

No mass media even mention the proven corruption of the Dems and Reps and nearly all politicians and judges and agencies by Israel. Let us get that fixed before we indulge any of their diversionary accusations.

Chris Reed

May 25, 2017 at 15:24

That sounds like a reasonable assertion. However, I doubt that the Congressional investigation and the Special Counsel are benign.

Watchdog

May 24, 2017 at 21:27

Great article – until the end. And then it plays into the hands of the New Cold Warriors.
At the end Parry unfortunately writes: “So, yes, I get the desire to get rid Trump because of his unfitness and ineptness.” But here he is as vague as as the neo-McCarthyites?
Is Trump “unfit” because he has resolutely hewed to his promise of New Detente with Russia?
Is Trump “unfit” because he has dared to discuss cooperation rather than confrontation with Lavrov in the Oval Office?
Is Trump “unfit” because he has taken the edge off the relations between two nuclear powers which could lead us to Armageddon?
Is Trump “unfit” because he has dumped the TPP which was not only a lousy and anti-sovereignty trade pact but also the economic limb of the military/economic assault on China that goes by the name of Pivot?
Is Trump “unfit” because, despite the noises to the contrary, he is working with China to deal with the nuclearization of the Korean peninsula?
Is Trump ‘unfit’ because in the last 100 days the provocative USN excursions in the South China Sea have ceased?
Parry’s charges are as undifferentiated as those of the NYT and the progressive choir.
He can make an argument that what he objects to are Trump’s stand on taxes or health care or immigration where Trump is lagging behind Obama as Deporter in Chief. But are any of these things as important as survival in the nuclear age? I do not think so.
Trump is the duly elected president as Parry concedes. In elections the choice is binary. But now the election is over and there are an array of policies to be considered. I am a strong advocate for Single Payer health care and I will oppose TrumpCare just as I did its almost equally evil twin ObamaCare. At the same time I will support whatever efforts Trump makes for better relations with Russia and China. To do otherwise would be infantile.
So let us stop apologizing de facto for our stand on Trump’s good positions by issuing blanket condemnations like “unfit.” As Stephen F. Cohen pointed out long ago, a common and tired Establishment tactic when dealing with Trump is to switch from policy to personality. And that is unfortunately what Parry is doing here. Too bad. He undermines his superb work with that bit of backsliding.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 21:55

I believe the argument can be made in terms of competence, which so far seems very low against possibly some noble intentions, many of which appear to be in reversal. But on the other hand the essential question, I think, is Pence as replacement could be worse, in terms of a combination authoritarian-globalism type of administration, with a McCarthyist cynicism. Trump may be blockheading his way into at least slowing this development down.

Litchfield

May 24, 2017 at 22:00

“So let us stop apologizing de facto for our stand on Trump’s good positions by issuing blanket condemnations like “unfit.” As Stephen F. Cohen pointed out long ago, a common and tired Establishment tactic when dealing with Trump is to switch from policy to personality. And that is unfortunately what Parry is doing here. Too bad. He undermines his superb work with that bit of backsliding.”

You said it. Attemptpiong to topple a legally elected president is incredibly dangerous. There is no excuse and the precedent is terrifying. Banana Republic USA is on the way. I love Parry, but he must stop apologizing for his principled position by conceding that it is a stretch to demand justice for this president—for the whole country. He completely undermines his argument by continuing to do this. What, actually, makes Trump less “fit” than Bush 2? Or even Clinton 1? Bill Clinton oversaw most of the policies that are driving this country and its people into the ground.

Message to Parry: Take your own medicine and accept that the will of the people was done and Trump is president. Stop trying to curry favor with McCarthyites with the wink-wink “I agree that of of course he is unfit.” Stop that. Actually, he must be “fit” enough to freak out these totalitarians and liars such as Brennan, Clapper, Comey, and—yes—El Suavo, Barry Obama. Suavo’s hand is behind all of this super-dangerous Russia-Gate nonsense. Obama should really be the one in the dock fro treason. He is setting this country at risk with these dangerous McCarthyite games.

Trump’s “fitness or unfitness” is irrelevant to the agenda of those who want to remove him. It is *they* who are unfit for public office—not Trump.

D5-5

May 24, 2017 at 22:15

It’s a good point. They’ve all been unfit. But Trump is fit? What is your case there?

Susan Stroud

May 25, 2017 at 08:31

Judge Trump by his actions vis a vis Obama. We know from Obama’s scandals which the media and establishment never pursued while he was in office and that we are learning involved unprecedented abuses of power right to his last day, that this “Constitutional law expert” abrogated his oath, undermined the Constitution, lied to the American people repeatedly and cared not about the American lives he destroyed. The recent revelations from the FISA court again demonstrate how Obama, again, weaponized the bureaucracy against US citizens. In airlifting pallets of cash to terror-sponsor Iran, he aided and abetted enemies of the people. In spreading false stories about Trump and supposed Russian collusion/hacking/interference with our elections he has committed treason by attempting to overthrow the duly elected President.

Now, look at Trump. Despite the oft-repeated but never documented talking points, Trump is the opposite of the thin-skinned, unfit narcissist. In fact, that description best fits Obama. Trump has been gracious. He has included in his administration people who were ardent neverTrumpers like Nikki Haley. He has been supportive of establishment snakes like Ryan who has accomplished nothing in 18 years of elected office and who takes every opportunity to undercut Trump and substitute the agenda approved by the people for his agenda benefiting special interests and harmful to the people.

Trump has been more truthful than any previous candidate, immediately implementing his campaign promises. In fact, it is his truthfulness that the politically correct crowd finds so dishonest. One must ignore common sense and reality in order to implement the globalist takeover of the people.

Any other president would be basking in praise similar to the reception he received in the mid-east for the immense strides he has taken to halt the growth of government, return respect for the rule of law and reinforce that ours is a government owned BY THE PEOPLE, not a government that owns the people – the transformation Obama worked hand in glove with the swamp to bring about.

It is amazing to me, that a gullible public can be persuaded to so easily ignore reality and parrot the propaganda talking points of those whose intentions are clearly detrimental. Trump is a multibillionaire who built an international company, learning from setbacks that almost destroyed him. A novice to TV, he had a top rated show for 14 years. A novice to politics, he defeated – on a shoestring – 16 experienced politicians with massive budgets who employed boat loads of “strategists” and “operatives”. In the general election, Trump defeated the candidate that the DNC, media pollsters and establishment presented as unbeatable – and again, did it for pennies on the dollar with a woman running his campaign.

It is time all the political savants and pundits were made to justify their attacks on Donald Trump and include honest reporting of the brink to which Obama, Hillary, the political establishment and bureaucratic swamp brought us.

Anon

May 25, 2017 at 09:21

A paid liar for Trump: “immediately implementing his campaign promises” like “Watchdog” saying that he “resolutely hewed to his promise of New Detente with Russia.”

Explain why Trump is expanding US “aid” to Israel, selling unprecedented arms to KSA, and building up the US military presence in Jordan/Syria and Afghanistan.

What an utter lie.

Anything else he promised was an attack on civilization itself, and had to be ignored by those who voted for him to stop Hillary’s militarism in the Mideast.

Trump has betrayed everyone already, except the enemies of civilization.

Sam F

May 25, 2017 at 09:43

Provide evidence for your statements:

1. Obama “airlifting pallets of cash to terror-sponsor Iran”;
2. That Obama “spreading false stories” is “attempting to overthrow”;
3. That appointing “ardent neverTrumpers like Nikki Haley” is “gracious” rather than stupid or deceitful;
4. That arming Israel and Saudi Arabia to attack in Syria is implementing his “campaign promises”‘

While I do not defend Obama’s wrongs, you are deliberately whitewashing those of Trump, and your claims are wild propaganda.

Nancy

May 25, 2017 at 12:32

Yes, they are all unfit. The system is unfit, since it only allows candidates who are part of the problem. I am in favor of getting rid of it all–the electoral college, the two-party merry-go-round, all of it, and starting from scratch. But until that happens, Trump is the “legitimately elected president” and all the crybabies on the “left” should quit whining that he’s not their president just because he’s not as smooth and politically correct as his predecessor. Again, they’re all unfit.

Danny Weil

May 29, 2017 at 09:52

Remember, 50% of Americans did not even vote. This gives Clinton 25% of the vote and Trump 25%. with no parlament, this is a constitutional and social crisis.

William

May 24, 2017 at 22:45

@Litchfield::// I agree with you 1000%. What’s happening in America at the moment is ludicrous and it’s not helping get the country back on its feet after Clinton, Bush, and Obama. The last 8 years with Obama is the worst in the history of America! That criminal should be in prison! I can’t imagine why he’s not!!

Wm. Boyce

May 24, 2017 at 23:39

I want to remove him – and I support those on the inside who do as well. His own mouth will be his end – mark my words.

rosemerry

May 25, 2017 at 01:59

Looking back to WBush, Clinton, and even to what might has been the government of “environmentalist” Gore and his mate Hoe Lieberman, I wonder if Trump is really so terrible in comparison to what they achieved.

rosemerry

May 25, 2017 at 02:00

Sorry, Joe Lieberman!

F. G. Sanford

May 25, 2017 at 04:22

I think you got it right the first time…

Nancy

May 25, 2017 at 12:33

I do too!

Anon

May 25, 2017 at 09:27

So Trump “resolutely hewed to his promise of New Detente with Russia” by expanding US “aid” to Israel, selling unprecedented arms to KSA, and building up the US military presence in Jordan/Syria and Afghanistan. Anything else he promised besides dumping TPP was an attack on civilization itself, and had to be ignored by those who voted for him to stop Hillary’s militarism in the Mideast.

Except for TPP, Trump has betrayed everyone already, except the enemies of civilization.

Sam F

May 25, 2017 at 09:56

Where is the evidence of your assertions that Trump seeks a “New Detente with Russia” when he is arming the Saudis and Israel, moving soldiers to Jordan, attacking Syrian forces in its SE, moving soldiers to Afghanistan, etc.

Where is the evidence that he is “working with China to deal with the nuclearization of the Korean peninsula” when he makes frequent and careless threats, moves two carrier task forces there, and has to be chastised by China for his careless militarism?

Getting us out of foreign wars was the main promise that got him elected, and he has betrayed that base almost completely.

If he sought detent with Russia and peace in Korea, he would have promptly dumped the warmonger saboteurs in the military, NSC etc, arranged peace conferences for Ukraine and Syria and Korea, dramatically increased humanitarian aid, and promoted mutual understanding. He has revealed that he has no interest or understanding or intention there.

Ol' Hippy

May 25, 2017 at 12:30

Admitted, I see lot’s of sour grapes from the democrats as sore losers on an election they thought they’d win. Sorry, but it is what it is. All I can see is that if Trump’s unseated an even worse player(s) is in the wings. Pence or Ryan know how Washington works and could easily get more extortionist laws through Congress. I still think all the emphasis on Russia is a manufactured attack to easily convince average folks to “hate” Russia. We’ll see. Don’t think Trump is going away any time soon, because even worse players are in the wings.

Danny Weil

May 29, 2017 at 09:54

And to get Americans to concentrate on all of this while 1.7 trillion dollars is proposed as social cuts

jfl

May 24, 2017 at 21:14

in fact the choice between the dnc and the rump is like a choice between cholera and diphtheria.

and the ‘cure’ is worse than either disease. having read the series on the ‘lobbies’ i recommend the tale of the “The China Lobby”, told in 1952 by The Reporter, referred to by jonathan marshall and available at the unzsite.

evelync

May 24, 2017 at 21:10

“the idea of telling 63 million Americans that their votes don’t count, that the elites know best, that the President who won under the rules of the game must be ridden out of Washington on a rail will not go down as easily as some people think.”

Yes, indeed! Excellent point! Thank you!

Re:
“Himes said: “I want to use my five minutes to try to paint a more specific picture around the methods and mechanisms that the Russians used to suborn … our democracy and our electoral process. And I want to start with a quote by a report I know you’re familiar with, CSIS’ report, ‘The Kremlin Playbook’ in which they say that Russia, quote, ‘Seeks to corrode democracy from within by deepening political divides,’ unquote.”

I’ve been waiting to hear exactly what damage these relentless critics think has been perpetrated on our democracy. As Julian Assange has claimed, no one has denied the authenticity of the wikileaks emails.
Clinton really said in a Wall Street speech that she’s “out of touch” with average Americans. John Podesta really talked about Bernie in a disparaging way and the DNC really did have its thumb on the scales to benefit Hillary Clinton.
Is this democracy really so fragile that the people are not up to hearing the truth about their government?
As Gorbachev once said in an L.A. Times interview about the Russian people, “Finally people have gotten sick and tired of being had and taken for idiots.”http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/24/world/la-fg-russia-gorbachev-qa-20120324
Those leaks, no matter who may have provided them to wikileaks, reinforced what everyone was already thinking about the endless regime change wars, the bad trade deals, dismantling the regulations protecting the stability of banks, the depositors, the taxpayers and the corrupt allegiance of politicians to big money not their constituents.
——————————————————————————————
On another note, maybe the Pope will have a good impact of Donald Trump……
But check out the look on the pontiff’s face at the end of this video when he is looking at Trump:https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/washington-reacts-to-the-gop-health-bills-budget-score/2017/05/24/ab8ef340-40d1-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_video.html

“OMG, persuading this guy to do the right thing and why he must will be my toughest assignment yet”

Establishment Dems, with cynicism and malice aforethought. Progressives, just malice laced and braced with shallow thinking — the sort on which corporate media feeds.

As in McCarthy’s day, it’s the lure of political power at any cost.

Spawn and spread pervasive, pointless, anti-Russian fear? Paranoia? With Trump at the helm, any means can be justified.

Right? Right?

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Or, as in the final scene of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” you could no longer tell the pigs from the humans — because, bit by bit, the revolutionaries had adopted the behaviors of their oppressors.

I hope the new McCarthyism isn’t leading us in that direction. I fear that it is.

One might say, this is where revolutions go to die. Let’s turn and head in a different direction. Please? Anyone?

Dorsey Gardner

May 24, 2017 at 20:33

I find possible meddling by Russia in our politics far less serious than the fact that Hillary’s five largest donors were Jewish billionaires whose priorities were Israel, a racist, apartheid nuclear power that refuses to sign the NPT, bombed the USS LIBERTY in 1967 killing US sailors, and lured us into spending $2 trillion in an illegal war in Iraq and now want us to bomb Iran for no good reason except greedy expansion.
Russia at least stopped ISIS, the proxy army of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the US, and Turkey, from further destabilizing Syria.

Gregory Kruse

May 24, 2017 at 22:15

Right on.

Chris Reed

May 25, 2017 at 15:11

Americans Jews have contributed in many ways beyond their numbers to the building this country. However, we need to concentrate on de-legitimizing the “strategic relationship.” In West Virginia, Sen. Manchin has been in the forefront of blocking this debate by co-sponsoring anti-BDS and “anti-Semitism Awareness” legislation.

Sam F

May 25, 2017 at 16:45

One should not give any group special credit: it is undeserved, at best an artifact of a group’s circumstances. For the same reason one should not credit claims of groups’ disabilities, which are also artifacts of their history. Special-credit claims for the Jews are propaganda claims repeated by the credulous, and should be discredited.

The anti-BDS and “anti-Semitism Awareness” moves are extremely racist and unpatriotic, and indicate corruption by campaign fund bribery, which should be met with life imprisonment at the least.

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 18:00

” Americans Jews have contributed in many ways beyond their numbers to the building this country.”

I have to ask you like I ask everyone who claims this——what exactly have Jews contributed to ‘building’ America?…or contributed beyond their numbers?

I bet I have asked for some specific things at least a 20 dozen times and no one can or will give me specific examples. If I had a nickel for every time I have seen some Zionist claim that or claim all the idiotic Israel invented the cell phone and computer chips and cherry tomatoes and all that nonsense Perry would never have to fund raise again.

Give me some examples of what you ‘re talking about. Be prepared to prove your claims though–cause I have left several promoters and propagandist for Jews and Israel bleeding out on the stage when they claimed that Jews created the ‘elite universities of the US and other institutions.

Why can I never get the people who claim this to give examples?

Stefan

May 25, 2017 at 20:40

Israel invented everything – after 1948 – decimal system, calculus, scientific methodology, newton laws, algebra, euclidian and riemannian geometry…on and on.
Before 1948 the world lived in a savage state using only stoes and sticks.

Cal

May 25, 2017 at 21:36

LOL…

FobosDeimos

May 24, 2017 at 20:22

I agree with what Robert Parry says about all the wrong (extremely wrong) reasons that many people are raising to justify toppling Trump. But, as far as I am concerned, Trump deserves his fate, as he betrayed his own electors and those who thought there was an ounce of sincerity in his anti-establishment, non interventionist rhetoric. The guy is a pathetic lackey of the military and his comprehension of world affairs is zero. End of the story. Nobody should bother defending Trump from himself.

Wm. Boyce

May 24, 2017 at 23:37

Hear, hear!

Susan Stroud

May 25, 2017 at 07:21

How did scandal monger Obama stack up in his first 4 months? I’ll tell you – he increased the debt by $400 billion while Trump, who you call a “pathetic lackey” reduced the debt $100 billion, has made amazing progress in bringing peace to the middle east, has introduced a taxpayer first budget and is reducing the size of government.

Canceled TPP
Approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines
Got the release of aid worker Aya Hijazi held in Egypt almost 3 years
Protecting our borders
Enforcing immigration laws.
Illegal immigration down 70+%
Deported hundreds of MS-13 illegals
Arrests of illegals up 38% 2016 (75% have criminal records)
Arrests of CRIMINAL illegals up 156% from 2016
Deported 2 waves of illegal Somalis
Massive tax cut and simplification bill underway
Established VOICE to help victims of crime by illegals
Warned bloated bureaucracy to prepare for cuts of 20% and greater.
Returning land seized by Obama to state and rightful owners
Removed global warming nonsense from EPA website
Solicited designs and bids for wall.
Appropriated funds to build winning designs near San Diego to test
Appropriated funds to repair border fence and build new sections
Deployed border guards and will hire 5,000 more
Increased defense spending and BROKE parity rule
Stymied dimocrites party of ‘no’ by changing filibuster rule
Got China working to reign in North Korea
Market up $3 trillion in value since his election
Commitments from Canada & Mexico to renegotiate NAFTA (although congress hasn’t accepted letter allowing negotiations to start)
Originalist supreme court justice
Forming coalition in mid east to control ISIS and Iran
Bringing back 1000s of jobs – each month jobs exceed analyst expectations
Reduced deficit by $100 billion (Obama increased by $600 billion in same time)
Eliminated Obamacare mandate
Passed legislation through the House to repeal/replace Obamacare
Ordered IRS to side with taxpayer & against government
Gutted Obama regulations
Established organization to verify voter rolls – including matching with DHS Alien lists
Ended war on coal
Negotiated initial trade deal with China favorable to US including export of LNG & coal to China
Fighting back against sanctuary cities
Drafted plan to defeat ISIS
Isolated Russia in UN over Syria vote
Signed 2 executive orders to protect us from terrorists (both halted by left wing judges)
Fired Comey
5-Year lobbying ban
Established group to examine and ensure US gov’t cybersecurity (gov’t computers massively hacked under Obama with no consequence)
Sanctioned Iran over missile program
Responded to Syria’s use of Chemical weapons
Created task force to reduce crime
Signed executive order to protect police officers
Signed executive order to target drug cartels
Imposed anti dumping sanctions on Canada
Poll – Trump still beats KILLARY if vote was held today, AND won the popular vote!
This is with 91% negative comments from the main stream media and 98% of DC voting for Hillary
and dimocrites disgracefully drawing out cabinet confirmations to the longest in history.

Imagine how much he’d accomplish if he had patriots serving in DC!

Aaron Aarons

May 25, 2017 at 09:02

Thanks, Ms. SS, for summarizing for us all the things that United Snakes nationalists like about President Oranguturd. He, and his supporters like you, are enemies of humanity and far worse than “deplorable”, a word that better applies to most of the Democratic Party and the less fanatical Republicans.

FobosDeimos

May 25, 2017 at 10:42

Peace in the Middle East! That’s a good one. In the real world, Trump just flooded the head choppers of the Al Saud family with hundreds of billions of $$ in weapons, so that they can carry on with their Gandhi-like mission of taking mankind back to the eighth century. And he called on all head choppers of the region to isolate Iran…perhaps in preparation for his next “presidential” moment?

lysias

May 25, 2017 at 15:26

You may not like Trump, but chasing him out of office, especially on bogus charges, would also disrespect the millions of voters who voted for him.

And, considering how many of them have weapons and are in the military and police forces, it would invite civil war.

I supported Bernie Sanders and voted for Jill Stein, but, if there were a civil war, then, unless Trump were removed constitutionally, I would have to support Trump’s side.

BannanaBoat

May 25, 2017 at 17:26

Trump is criminal but who was the last USA president not guilty of Capital Crimes? The constitution must be adhered too, impeachment must be constitutional; The only hope to acheive democracy in the USA is if all the citizens compromise and unite to dispose the Globalist Corporate Duopoly.